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CHAPTER 146

Author: CagalieYula
last update Last Updated: 2025-05-25 18:29:54

The mural wall stood before me like a confession I hadn’t finished making.

The original paint was cracked in some places, scuffed in others—signs of time and truth doing what they always do: erode the illusions. I ran my fingers across the edge of the bold red line Camille had insisted on, back when we’d called this our statement piece. At the time, we thought we were reclaiming space for the voiceless.

Turned out, we’d just given her another stage.

But this wasn’t her wall anymore.

It wasn’t ours either.

It was mine now.

The wind tugged at the hem of my jacket as I laid out my sketchbook and paints. Rosa had shown up ten minutes early with coffee and an old ladder. “In case you need perspective,” she’d winked.

Now she stood nearby, arms crossed, her presence a silent promise.

“You sure about this?” she asked, eyeing the blank spaces I’d taped over.

“I need to do this,” I said. “Not to forget what happened—but to remember that I’m still here after it.”

Rosa nodded. “Then paint.”

I sta
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