Chapter 143 A Bitter Taste

• Abby
• The buzzer goes off, and the contestants place down their dishes, stepping back from their stations. The room is alive with murmurs, excitement from the crowd as their eyes scan the three dishes on the stage. The judges step down from their booth, their gazes inscrutable.
• My hands tremble, still hovering over the tiramisu’s uneven surface— it’s a mocking reminder of the chaos just moments before, but I could fix it, at least a little. Maybe no one would even notice.