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The days after the event felt lighter — not perfect, just… easier.Rand and I started seeing each other again, not every day, but enough to remember why we worked in the first place. Sometimes we’d meet at the community centre, sometimes he’d stop by my studio after work. There was no rush this time, no need to define everything. It was just us, slowly finding rhythm in the quiet.I spent my mornings painting with some of the kids from the art program. Rebuild & Rise had opened a small section for community projects — murals, donated art, and small workshops. It felt good to be part of something that wasn’t just mine.Rand would show up with coffee, pretending he wasn’t checking on the progress but always watching closely anyway. I’d catch him leaning against the doorway, half-smiling like he was seeing something he didn’t want to disturb.“You know you can sit,” I told him one afternoon, wiping paint off my hands.“I like the view from here,” he said, and I rolled my eyes.“You mean
It had been nine days since the night at the gallery.Nine days since we decided to take a step back — not because we wanted distance, but because we needed it. The quiet wasn’t cruel; it was just strange. The kind of silence that sits in the corners of your apartment and reminds you that someone used to fill it.I started painting again. Not to escape — but to listen. Each brushstroke felt like a conversation I wasn’t ready to have aloud. The canvas showed a city skyline under dim light, not broken, just unfinished. That’s what I told myself we were — unfinished, not broken.I heard about Rebuild & Rise through Clara and the news. It was growing faster than even Rand expected. Volunteers were joining, investors were calling, and for the first time, he was building something that didn’t have his family’s name attached. Still, I couldn’t help wondering if he ever looked at his phone the way I did — thumb hovering over a name I couldn’t quite bring myself to call.It was a Thursday when
The gallery smelled faintly of paint and champagne — an odd combination that somehow fit the night. People moved slowly through the space, murmuring in polite tones, glasses clinking. Light bounced off the white walls, illuminating my paintings. Each one hung with quiet confidence, a reflection of her journey — raw, imperfect, honest.I stood near the entrance, a soft smile on my lips, hands clasped to hide the nervous tremor. This was supposed to be her night. Her name was printed on every invitation, every small tag beside her work. But as soon as Rand walked in, heads turned.Cameras flashed. A few whispers rose above the polite hum of conversation.“That’s Rand Calloway, right?” someone murmured near the refreshments.“I thought he disappeared after that scandal.”“Looks like he’s back — and dating the artist.”She heard every word, though she tried to pretend she didn’t.Rand smiled as he approached, dressed simply — no tie, no expensive suit. Just a white shirt with the sleeves
The article went live on a Tuesday morning.I was the first to see it. The headline wasn’t loud or cruel this time; it simply read:“Rand Calloway Rebuilds From the Ground Up: The Man Behind Rebuild & Rise.”She read it twice before waking him.“Rand,” she said softly, touching his shoulder. “It’s out.”He blinked awake, groggy, then reached for her phone. For a moment, the only sound was the faint hum of the refrigerator and his quiet breathing as he scrolled through the piece.Clara had written it honestly—no drama, no pity. She talked about how he’d walked away from everything after the collapse, about the months of silence, the people he now worked with, the goal of giving jobs to those starting over. There was even a line about the artist who helped him see life differently.“That’s you,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips.“I figured,” she said.“It’s… good,” he added, almost surprised. “It feels real.”She nodded. “It is real.”By noon, their phones wouldn’t stop buzzin
CHAPTER TWENTY: SHADOWS AND SPOTLIGHTMorning light spilt through the blinds, soft and uneven. I stood by the small dining table, sorting through canvases that leaned against the wall. There were coffee rings on the table, a faint smell of paint, and the quiet hum of life that had slowly become their new normal.Rand was across the room, laptop open, talking quietly on a call. The name Rebuild & Rise glowed at the top of the document on his screen — his project, his way of starting again.I glanced up as he ended the call. “Good news?” she asked.He leaned back, rubbing his neck. “Maybe. Someone from an NGO in Manchester wants to partner with us. They said what we’re doing could help train people who lost their jobs.”“That’s incredible.”He smiled faintly. “It’s small, but it’s something. It feels… good, you know? Doing something that actually matters.”She nodded. “It suits you.”He gave a small laugh. “What does?”“Being human.”That made him pause, and then he smiled — not his pol
A week passed before I realised how quiet everything had become.The chaos, the running, the tension — all of it had settled into something calmer. Not perfect, just quieter. It was strange at first, like we were both learning how to breathe again.Rand had started waking up early. Sometimes I’d find him sitting by the window with a notebook, writing things down. Plans, ideas, thoughts — he never said what they were, but he looked more at peace doing that than he ever did in a boardroom.One morning, I asked, “What are you working on?”He smiled without looking up. “Just… something new. Something of mine.”That was all he said, and I didn’t push. I’d learned that some dreams need time before they can be spoken out loud.As for me, I was painting again — properly this time. No distractions, no fear of whether it was good enough. I’d wake up, make coffee, and lose myself in the canvas. Some days, I’d catch Rand watching quietly from the doorway, that soft half-smile on his face.He neve








