As the last note echoed through the auditorium, silence followed. A hush that stretched, as if no one wanted to break the spell. Then, like a tidal wave, the audience erupted in applause.
James and William looked at each other, knowing that this was their farewell. Not just to the stage, but to the music, to the life they had once dreamed of.
That night, they did not win the competition. But they won something far greater—the chance to tell their story, one last time, through the only language they had ever truly understood: music.
And as they stepped off the stage, hand in hand, they knew that in that moment, they had lived their dream. Even if just for one final song.