บททั้งหมดของ Falling For His Forsaken Wife: บทที่ 81 - บทที่ 90

Four weeks before London, the panic started in earnest.I woke at three in the morning with my heart racing and the certainty that the exhibition would be a disaster. The paintings were not good enough. The critics would tear them apart. I would be exposed as a fraud in front of the international art community.Alex woke when I got out of bed."Another panic attack?" he asked quietly."Just anxiety. I am fine.""You are not fine. Come here."I let him pull me back into bed, his arms solid and grounding around me."Talk to me. What is going through your head right now?""That I am not ready for London. That the work is not strong enough. That everyone is going to realize I do not belong in international galleries." I took a shaky breath. "That I am going to fail spectacularly and publicly.""You are not going to fail. However, even if the exhibition does not go as well as we hope, you will survive it. You will learn from it and move forward.""That is easy to say when it is not your ca

Saturday morning, I woke to Alex scrolling through his phone with a strange expression on his face."What is wrong?" I asked, immediately anxious."Nothing is wrong. The reviews are starting to publish." He handed me his phone. "You need to read this."The Guardian review was at the top of his screen. Written by Charlotte Davis, whose catalog essay I had read earlier. I started reading, my heart pounding.*Emily Carter's 'Fractures and Light' at Whitmore Gallery is the most significant debut exhibition London has seen in years. These five paintings do not merely document personal transformation—they create a visual language for the universal experience of breaking apart and reassembling oneself into something stronger.*I kept reading, barely breathing.*The opening piece, with its fractured mirror imagery, immediately establishes Carter's technical mastery. However, it is the emotional honesty that sets this work apart. There is no performance here, no calculated manipulation of trau

Eight weeks until Tokyo. Eight paintings left to complete. The timeline was aggressive but manageable if I stayed focused.Wednesday morning, James's assistant candidate arrived at the penthouse for an interview. Her name was Lucia Chen, twenty-six, fresh from her MFA at Columbia. She wore black jeans and a blazer, carried a portfolio, and looked both nervous and confident."Thank you for meeting with me," she said, shaking my hand. "James spoke highly of your work. I have been following your career since the MoMA acquisition."We sat in the living room with coffee. I had prepared questions but found myself just talking with her instead—about her thesis work, her understanding of the contemporary art market, what she hoped to do with her degree."I loved creating my own work," she said. "However, I realized I am better at supporting other artists than being the artist myself. I understand the business side. The logistics. The need for someone to handle administrative chaos so the arti

The Tokyo paintings shipped on a Tuesday morning. I watched the art handlers wrap each piece with the same anxiety I had felt with London, multiplied by the knowledge that this series would either validate my career or confirm the Art Forum critique."They will be fine," Lucia said, checking off items on her tablet. "This shipping company has handled pieces worth millions. Your paintings are in excellent hands.""I know. Logically I know that. Emotionally I am convinced something will go wrong.""That is normal pre-exhibition anxiety. Dr. Morrison would tell you to notice the feeling without letting it control your behavior.""Since when did you start channeling my therapist?""Since I spent three months watching you spiral and learning your patterns." She smiled. "You are going to Tokyo in ten days. The paintings will arrive safely. The installation will be perfect. The opening will be successful. I have faith.""I wish I had your confidence.""You do. You just have anxiety covering

Thursday morning, I woke to my phone buzzing with notifications. Reviews. The Tokyo preview had generated immediate press coverage.I opened the first one—from Artforum Asia, written by the critic I had spoken with at the preview.*Emily Carter's 'Partnership and Space' at Mori Art Museum demonstrates maturity beyond her years. This is not the work of an emerging artist finding her voice. This is fully realized contemporary art from someone who understands both her medium and her subject matter.*I kept reading, hardly breathing.*The series progresses with visual logic that rewards careful viewing. Each painting builds on the previous one, creating conversation about partnership that avoids romanticization while maintaining hope. Carter's technical skill has been well-documented. What Tokyo reveals is her conceptual depth—the ability to explore complex ideas through accessible visual language.**Critics who dismiss Carter's work as commodified trauma fundamentally misunderstand what