CHAPTER 25

Pearl sat frozen in the velvet armchair, the ghost of Fiona’s accusations still ringing in the air like smoke that refused to clear. The photos. The name Melody. The scandal. Her past clawing its way into her present like it had been waiting for this exact moment to explode. But something didn’t fit. Her eyes, still slightly glassed with confusion, scanned the remnants of Fiona’s chaos. Fiona’s iPad had been snatched by security and now sat face-down on the glass coffee table. Ethan stood at the far end of the room, pacing slowly, his jaw clenched, his thoughts guarded. Pearl’s mind spiraled, but then—something snapped into place. Gary. Her hands twitched as she sat up straighter. Gary had mentioned Paired. Just days ago. That smug smirk on his face. The insinuation that she had messaged him first. At the time, she had brushed it off as one of Gary’s pathetic jabs. But now… Her pulse began to race. She reached for her phone with shaky fingers, unlocking the screen and typing