“Victoria!”
Dominic Valerius was the first to move. He vaulted over the judges’ table, his expensive suit forgotten, sprinting to the stage. He skidded to his knees beside her, his face a mask of terrified focus.
“Call 911!” Dominic shouted, his voice cracking with command. He scooped Victoria up into his arms, cradling her head against his chest. She was limp, dangerously pale.
William burst through the double doors of the studio just in time to see his rival lifting his unconscious wife.
“Put her down!” William yelled, running down the aisle, panic clawing at his throat.
“Get the car, Croft!” Dominic barked, not even looking at him, his eyes fixed on Victoria’s face. “She needs a hospital *now*.”
Dominic didn’t wait. He ran toward the exit with Victoria in his arms, playing the hero William had failed to be. William sprinted after them, his heart hammering a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
In the wings of the stage, Seraphina stood frozen. She had watched Victoria fall. She had watched William sprint past her–literally brushing her shoulder–without even a glance. He hadn’t checked to see if *she* was okay. He hadn’t noticed her at all.
She stood alone in the shadows, realizing with a cold dread that her “cancer” no longer made her the center of gravity. She was invisible.