Chapter 81

My heart sank as I knelt down, my fingers carefully collecting the shattered fragments of glass. Tears welled in my eyes as I

gazed at the remnants of what was once a symbol of something greater. Penny placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “We'll

find a way to fix it, Evie.”

The shattered pieces lay pathetically in my cupped hands, still giving off a twinkle in the moon’s delicate light. My tears

accompanied them, round little gems. surrounded by broken dreams. Linda’s deranged face flashed in my mind and I closed my

hands around the pieces, not caring as their jagged edges punctured my skin and drew blood.

I felt Penny hovering beside me, occasionally grunting and shifting from foot to foot. As I gathered the shards and stuck them into

my jacket pocket, she finally spoke.

“I'm sure a little super glue could fix that,” she said, patting my arm. “But I would worry more about Linda. Who knows if she'll be

trying to crawl her way back.”

I wiped the tears away from my eyes and gritted my teeth. “I hope she does, instead of running away like a coward!”

Penny hummed beside my ear. “Well, hopefully not tonight. You should get back inside now and get some rest.”

I reluctantly followed as she pressed me toward the apartment entrance, my sandals scraping along the concrete. How was I

supposed to rest knowing that Timothy’s gift was in shambles?

As I made my way back up the elevators to the top floor, I took out the glass shards. and observed them in the light. They still

twinkled delicately, though their now jagged surfaces were anything but. Timothy hadn’t asked about the gift ever since. he gave

it to me, but I still feared he would take offense to all this.

Perhaps he didn’t need to know about Linda, or the broken glass for that matter. I was becoming eerily adapted to the stream of

lies that I'd conjured up throughout the years. I probably even knew how to lie to myself.

I crawled back in bed and stared up at the ceiling, wondering how the day could've started out so well just to end horribly.

1/4

Chapter 81

The sun peeked through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room as I groggily pushed myself up from the bed. Every

new day felt like another obstacle, rather than a cleaned slate.

As I shuffled into the kitchen, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee greeted me, and I couldn't help but smile. Aria was already at

the table, flipping through a magazine as she sipped her own cup of coffee. I poured myself a mug, taking a much needed sip

before joining her.

Aria looked up from her magazine, her eyes narrowing in concern as she studied me. “Evie, you look exhausted. Did you even

get any sleep last night?”

I offered her a tired smile, attempting to brush off her worry. “Oh, I just got held up looking through all the Tevie stuff online.”

She raised an eyebrow skeptically. “I told you to stay away from that stuff. Half of its click—bait anyway, usually from a bunch of

crazy fans.”

My heart skipped a beat at her words, the incident with Linda flashing before my eyes. I quickly took another sip of coffee, hoping

to distract myself from the tumultuous thoughts swirling within

1.me.

“So,” I began, my voice casual, “Did you enjoy the day with Timothy?”

Her

eyes widened. “Are you joking? That was the best day of my life!”

“I figured it would be,” I said with a chuckle.

She clasped her hands together and practically melted into the counter, her eyes. glossing over as she sighed dreamily. “He was

no nice, and so tall!”

“So I noticed,” I said with a smirk. “You're probably one of the only people who can say they met their idol without finding out they

were a jerk.”

Aria’s expression softened as she hid a smile behind her mug. “Yeah...I’m trying to stay focused on Mike, but holy hell was

Timothy so hot up close.”

I laughed hardily. “Well, I’m glad you really enjoyed his company. And his looks.”

Fri, 22 Mar

She smiled cheekily, her attention shifting back to her magazine. “You're one lucky gal”

That statement made my smile fade, my grip tightening on the coffee mug. Lucky. That wasn’t the best description of my

circumstances

After breakfast, I told Aria that I would be heading our for the day. Thankfully, she didn’t ask to come along, too enthralled in

making magazine clippings for her bedroom collage

For now, the broken sculpture was my focus.

I stepped out into the brisk morning air feeling the gentle caress of sunlight on my kin as I navigated through the bustling city

streets.

As the door of the store swung open, the familiar scent of fresh paint and wood enveloped me. I made my way to the sealants

isle. After scanning the shelves, I came across a heavy duty glue that seemed fitting for glass surfaces. I grabbed it off the self

and started making my way back to the counter, satisfied with the ease of such a small trip.

“Evic, over here“” came a loud shout hat traveled across the large room.

wisted around, searching for the source of the voice, but I didn’t have to look too far to find the small group making their way

toward me

Any sense of peace was swiftly shattered by the unmistakable clicking of cameras and the animated chatter of paparazzi. They

were going to document me doing everything. I suppose. Even buying glue.

“Truc Thi way. Exte! The paparazzi i voices were like a relentless barrage of question, rach one sharper than the last, their

flashing camera momentarily Bilinding me and exacerbating my discomfort

“or mow!” I cried, striding my face as I rushed to one of the registers. The cautus sed just as disgruntled and she quickly sucked

down to avoid the

“as at turur you used Tamoday are an item o registre sikest.

die

“Exte, over here! A quick commaren alaosa yunar enyutertom evening!” aked another

Myslonious evening Wese dary stemning to my sting with Timothy and Arta last

Fri, 22 Mar D

night? There was no way they could’ve mistaken that as a date when it was the three of us present.

51%

The questions came at me like a never—ending barrage, and my instinct was to shield myself from the onslaught of attention.

With a deep breath, I attempted to remain composed and navigated the sea of cameras and eager reporters with as much grace

as I could muster.

“I don’t know what you're talking about. Timothy and I have never been together,” I stated.

With the glass glue clutched in my hand, I stepped up to the register so the employee could ring me up. This did not deter the

reporters, of course. A microphone was forced in my face yet again.

“Ah, come on!” the reporter with a cap on whined in my ear. “You know it’s not just Timothy we're talking about.”

I whirled around, nearly colliding with one of the cameras. “What are you talking about?”

The reporter grinned. “Spill the beans about your date with Alex!”

“What?” I gasped.

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