CHAPTER 28

Emily Perry’s words wouldn’t stop echoing. They looped like a curse in Pearl’s mind as she sat in the gallery office later that evening, long after everyone had gone home. "You are entangled with my fiancé.." The air felt thinner. Her breathing shallow. Pearl had replayed every memory she had of Ethan—every intimate glance, every whispered promise, every quiet night they had shared in that safe little cocoon of trust they’d built between them. And now she didn’t know what was real. Was he hiding something? Has he ever been completely honest? It was like standing in front of a painting you thought you understood, only to realize it had been rotated upside down the whole time. She looked down at her hands—steady, but cold. The strength she had fought for since Fiona’s betrayal was still there, but under it now was something else. A gnawing unrest. Doubt had a voice, and it was whispering cruel things she couldn’t ignore. She needed answers. Pearl grabbed her coat. The car rid