#Chapter 80: The Rogues

Agnes To say that I was satisfied and relieved by Ava’s absence at work would have been putting it lightly. I was far more than satisfied. Far more than relieved. For the first time in a long time, I finally felt… free. And it showed in my work; over the remainder of the week, I developed several more sketches for the show, totalling five viable sketches by the end of the week. In fact, by the time Friday rolled around, the department was moving like a well-oiled machine again. Maria’s work soared as well, and all of the designers admitted how happy they were to have Ava’s negative presence gone. Soon enough, our fashion show would be underway. And I couldn’t have been more excited. On Saturday morning, I woke up bright and early, feeling like going for a run. I wasn’t sure why, as I didn’t often run for exercise anymore—maybe it was the way the sun was shining particularly bright that morning, or maybe it was the way the birds were singing outside. Eithe