Page 62 of Invisible Bars

“Ican afford to take as many personal days as I want,” I cut her off.

Giselle narrowed her eyes at me like she was measuring how far she could push before I reminded her who signs the checks.

I stepped back, sliding on my shades like her aura gave me migraines.

“Anyway, my time’s up. Hit me later, sis.”

“Oh, I will,” Dessign called out. Then mouthed, “Pray for me.”

We shared the same mama, so I wanted to tell her to do the same for me.

When I hopped in the whip, the first thing I checked for was the bear and the portfolio—more so the bear, though. It was stillthere, tucked safely behind the folder like it had a job to protect it.

By the time I made it back to the crib, Naji was knocked out, snoring loud as hell. I guessed it was all that sleep she’d been missing was finally catching up to her.

I stood there for a minute, watching her… just watching.

Face soft, peaceful for once. Hair half-wild. Lips slightly parted. Comforter pulled up like she was hiding from the world.

She looked… beautiful. Not the kind of beauty that walks across a stage; the kind that’s just there when nobody’s looking.

I had to remind myself—this is business… right?Yeah… business.That’s what I keep telling myself.

I walked over and quietly placed the portfolio, her phone, and the bear next to her on the bed.

I left the room, closing the door behind me, still thinking—too much, honestly. So I figured I’d do what I always did—drown the thoughts in work, focus on myrealbusiness, make the numbers move, and get my hands back in what I could control. Because feelings? Yeah… that was a different kind of territory, and I wasn’t ready to get lost in that yet.

Chapter Ten

NAJI

Iwoke up that next morning feeling different—rejuvenated in a way I hadn’t felt in weeks.

My body didn’t ache, my head wasn’t clouded, and my heart—though still cautious—wasn’t racing like it usually did when I opened my eyes in unfamiliar places.

And that’s when it hit me—I had slept almosttwenty-four hours.

My first reaction was annoyance.

Why didn’t anybody wake me?What if I missed something important? What if they thought I was being lazy?

Then again, maybe they didn’t wake me because they knew my body needed it. Maybe they saw the exhaustion I’d been trying to fight off. And maybe,just maybe, they let me rest because they cared.

That thought sat heavy in my chest… but not in a bad way.

When I sat up in bed, the first thing my eyes landed on was my teddy bear and phone, sitting right next to my portfolio. All three had been carefully placed near my pillow like they were sacred—because to me, theywere.

I frowned softly, my fingers brushing over the worn leather cover of my portfolio.

It was still intact. Every photoshoot, runway composite, tear sheet, and casting call memory was inside—the pages of who I used to be. Images frozen in time where I looked confident, powerful, and unshakable. But those pages didn’t show the panic behind my eyes, the forced stillness of my body during tic surges, or the nights I collapsed from pretending to be perfect.

I wasn’t even sure how Imanio knew to grab it. Maybe he didn’t realize what it meant to me—how much of my old self was stitched between those glossy sheets.

Or maybe he did.

Either way, I was thankful.

I tapped my phone screen, and to my surprise, it flickered to life.