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Was she just a façade?

I turn away, my steps heavy, leaving her standing there amidst the murmurs of the crowd.

But then I stop, the weight of the situation pulling my shoulders down.

Turning back, I face Emily. "What I can't figure out," I say, my voice laced with confusion and hurt, "is what you get out of this?"

Emily's reply is barely audible, lost in the hush of the room. Her face crumples as she tries to explain, but the words seem to stick in her throat.

Then a thought comes back to me.

The painting she made of me, while we spent the evening under the stars.

She’s a struggling artist.

I start to connect the dots.

"So, you seduced me... so I'd get your work into my galleries?" The realization hits me like a physical blow.

The connection, the intimacy – was it all just a means to an end?

Are there any honest people left in this world?

Emily starts to argue, but I can't hear it over the roar in my ears.

I raise my hands, a sign of surrender, of defeat.

"I'm out," I say, my voice echoing in the now silent hall.

EMILY

Istand there, frozen, as William storms out of the event, each step echoing the shattering of what I had foolishly believed was real.

The room spins around me, a whirlwind of whispered gossip and curious stares.

Madeline’s smug face looms in my vision, but it's William's cold, incredulous look that burns into my memory.

I feel a hand on my shoulder and turn to see Sasha, her eyes filled with worry and regret.

Back at the apartment, the atmosphere is heavy with tension.

Sasha, Evan, and I sit in a strained silence, the weight of the evening's disaster hanging over us like a dark cloud.

"Evan, we’re going home," I say abruptly, my voice breaking the silence. "Back to Snowdrop Valley."

Evan looks up, surprise etching his features. "Emily, are you sure?"

I nod, my decision firm despite the turmoil inside me. "I can't stay here, not after tonight. Everything’s just... fallen apart."

Sasha's eyes fill with tears, her voice a whisper of regret. "Emily, I'm so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen."

I turn to her, my own frustration and hurt spilling over.

"Why, Sasha? Why did you send me on this wild goose chase? Why does your grandmother keep blowing us off?"

Sasha shakes her head, her tears now freely flowing. "I don't know, Emily. I thought she would come, I really did. I thought this would be our chance to... to make things right."

Her words do little to soothe the sting of betrayal and disappointment.