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Chapter Twelve: Met Gala

Author: Korie M.
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-26 16:37:39

Early December 2025’s crisp air pulsed with anticipation in New York City as I stood in a Manhattan hotel suite, my reflection glowing in a gilded mirror. Over a year had passed since Justin’s press tour defended our love, since TMZ branded me Kayla Reed, the Greenwich waitress turned billionaire’s partner. I’d moved to Montclair, New Jersey, six months ago, seeking a quieter life and starting community college, my jet-black hair now shoulder-length, my plus-sized curves draped in a custom sapphire gown. The dress echoed the sapphire necklace Justin bid $100,000 for at the Greenwich auction, its deep blue silk shimmering with crystals cascading like starlight from bodice to hem, catching the light with every move. Tonight, at the Met Gala, we’d face the world together, but my heart raced with familiar fears—my chest tight, my body humming with nerves, wondering if I could hold my own in his dazzling world.

The past year had tested us. The beach scandal at Tod’s Point, my identity expo
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