I earned this, I thought, the realization finally anchoring in my bones. Every sleepless night. Every tear. It was all real.
Meanwhile, just on the other side of the heavy velvet curtain, a vastly different reality was playing out.
In the fourth row of the auditorium’s velvet-lined VIP section, Thomas and Victoria were holding court. They had commandeered the seats I had bled for, practically shouting to be heard over the low murmur of the sophisticated crowd.
“Oh, absolutely,” Victoria lied smoothly, adjusting her heavy pearl necklace and flashing a brilliant, fake smile to the wealthy neurosurgeon’s family sitting next to them. “Our Haley is practically the guest of honor today. She’s a major lifestyle influencer, you see. We had to leave our other daughter at home, unfortunately. She’s just a low-level assistant, very sweet, but she doesn’t really belong in a high-caliber room like this. She gets so intimidated.”
