Love, Loss, And A Bitter Recipe

ed Mrs. Peterson, walked over to me after the other stude

ftly. "Your work is exceptional. Julian ca

faced. In my past life, I had burst into tears at her kindness. This time, I just

d her shoulder as if she were a prized racehorse. He overheard Mrs

to me. "It' s about recognizing true artistry. Ava is a technician. Chloe i

her eyes before it was replaced by a smug satisfaction. She w

. Peterson said, clearly n

ondescension. "You have a long way to go, Ava. Perhaps you should lear

hat festered and grew, making me question my own abilities. But now,

vice, Chef. But I think I' ll stick to my own path. Chloe'

He got neither. He grunted, a sound of annoyance, and then stee

had rolled out my family' s recipes, one by one, each one hailed as her own unique creation. I remembered returning to my hometown, broken and defeated, only to see her bakery, "Chloe' s Creations," thr

plan. I couldn't let it happen again. As I passed Julian' s office, the door was slightly

voice, laced with a rare thread of uncertainty. "Wha

her? A bitter, second-place student? I' ll make sure everyone knows

ou mean?"

oser, strai

I had never heard before. "Eleanor was the town darling, the 'baking prodigy.' Dubois was always second best. She beat him in every competition. He claimed

her' s lavender honey cake. The one I had

roken man. Now, Eleanor' s granddaughter will know how it feels. A Reed will finall

ire life, my future, had been destroyed to settle a score that had nothing to do with me. The pain I felt was no longer just about a stolen recipe or a lost competition. It was about the malicio