111.

LoriMy heart began slamming against my chest while the accusation hung in the cool evening air like a cloud of pure poison. The plaque in my hands felt leaden, its weight pulling down on my exhausted arms as I stared back into Lucas’s bloodshot, tormented eyes.“Is any of it true, Lori?” he repeated, his voice cracking on my name, the sound laced with a desperate agony that tore right through me.“No!” I shouted, the word exploding from my throat before my brain could even register the impulse. I slammed the plaque onto the flat edge of the stone fountain behind me, the loud thud echoing across the quiet courtyard. “No, Lucas! None of it is true! How could you even stand there and ask me something like that? How could you believe a word of what those jealous girls were whispering?!”“Because of the way he was looking at you!” Lucas yelled back, taking an aggressive step forward, his chest heaving as tears glistened in his dark eyes.

112.

LucasJessica’s voice rasped in my ears like sandpaper, her bitter rant echoing off the cold stone walls of the courtyard. I didn't say a single word back to her. Arguing with someone so consumed by jealousy wasn't worth another second of our time or energy.I reached out, wrapped my fingers firmly around Lori’s hand, and pulled her smoothly behind me. With my other arm, I grabbed her plaque, keeping my body positioned as a solid barrier between Lori and Jessica’s venomous glare.“Lori, talk to me!” Jessica yelled, taking a frantic step forward, her face contorting in frustration as she saw me completely tuning her out. “Lucas? Are you seriously just going to let her walk all over you again after everything—”I ignored her completely. I didn't even grant her a single glance over my shoulder. Keeping a steady, brisk pace, I led Lori straight through the side archway toward the parking lot, the sound of Jessica’s high heels clicking ang

113.

LoriI stirred lazily, shifting against the crisp sheets as the lingering, sweet ache in my muscles reminded me of last night. For the first time in weeks, my mind felt light. I reached my arm across the mattress, expecting to feel the solid, reassuring heat of Lucas’s chest beside me, but my hand met only cool, empty linen.I blinked my eyes open, pushing myself up on one elbow.The faint, muffled sound of a low voice echoed from behind the cracked door of the en-suite bathroom. I sat up, pulling the bedsheet securely around my bare chest, my brow pulling into a subtle frown as I listened closely.Lucas was on the phone.“I don’t think I’m ready to talk about it right now,” he was muttering into the receiver, his voice hushed, and strained with a sharp edge of agitation. He was pacing back and forth his heavy footsteps echoing softly. A sudden chill cut right through the lingering warmth in my veins. My pulse

114.

LoriHe had lied to my face. I knew it, and he knew that I knew.I quickly grabbed my clothes and changed into them before reaching for the door handle, eager to escape the stifling atmosphere, when the sharp ring of my cell phone shattered the quiet.My heart instantly jumped into my throat.I reached into my handbag and pulled out the vibrating device. Flashing brightly across the illuminated screen, in bold letters, was the contact name: Richard Rashford.A sudden wave of anxiety flushed through my veins, making my breath catch in my chest. Not right now. Please, God, not right now. My fingers froze over the screen, my mind racing as a million worst case scenarios flooded my thoughts. If I declined the call, Lucas would take it as a definitive sign of guilt. If I answered, who knew what Richard’s smooth, intimate voice might drop over the speaker?I felt Lucas move closer behind me.Sl

115.

LoriI grabbed my purse from the bedside table without offering Lucas another glance. He stood frozen by the door of the hotel room, his hand hovering near the frame, his mouth opening as if to call my name. But no sound came out. The silence between us had turned cold and immovable. I didn't wait for him to find his voice. I brushed past him, pushed open the door, and walked out into the cool morning hallway.I took a taxi straight back to the fashion camp campus. The familiar stone buildings and green lawns felt entirely different now that the high stakes finale was over. The suffocating anxiety that had ruled my life for the past month was gone, replaced by a quiet, hollow exhaustion. I needed to get my life back on track, clear out my room in the camp hostel, and figure out my next moves.As I walked through the main archway toward the studio building to collect my final portfolio sketches, a tall, imposing figure stepped out f

116.

LucasThe silence that followed after Lori left felt like a physical blow to my chest.I stood frozen in the middle of the room, my hand still hovering near the doorframe where I had tried to reach for her. The faint, sweet scent of her perfume still drifted through the quiet air, being an agonizing reminder of how close we had been in this exact room just hours ago. And how fast everything had completely shattered again.I dragged both hands violently through my messy hair, gripping the strands until my scalp throbbed.“I hope you’re satisfied now, Lucas.”Her last words echoed over and over in my head, cold, and devoid of emotion. They cut deeper than if she had screamed at me or slapped my face.I walked over to the edge of the bed and collapsed onto the mattress, burying my face in my hands. My mind was a battlefield of conflicting emotions.I had gotten exactly what I demanded. I had stood over