Building a Second Life

s a stark white space with impossibly high ceilings, a design I had sketched in a notebook when I was sixteen, a design she had

but this time, it was a deliberate choice. I wasn't

beside her, looking handsome and endearingly awkward, a sculpture of his, a twisted figure of bronze, displayed prominently nearby. They were the perfect couple,

, dark and ominous in the crystal glass. My heart was pounding a s

e is to spill a drink on Liam Ston

ocked on my target. Just as I got close, Eleanor turned and saw me. Her perfectly made-up face regist

ut, her voice loud enough for those around them to hear.

g, a way of markin

id, my voice level. "I wanted to see his work for myself.

you," Liam said, extending

," I said, ig

e explained to Liam, a hint of apology in her tone. "My late sister'

The crowd was watchi

from behind. The red wine flew from my glass in a perfect arc,

d through th

ike a fresh wound

e full of fake panic. "I am s

d shirt, stunned. "It' s...

ial grace, was now a thundercloud of fury. She grabbed a napkin from a p

sed, her voice low but sharp with anger. "This is a cu

g. I could hear whispers of "Who is

a mixture of shame and what I hoped looked like jealous resentment.

eyes narrowed. She saw it not as an accident, but as an attack. A p

e the situation. "Eleanor, please. It'

lare on me, her public facade completely gone, revealing the cold, controlling woma

blic dismissal, a humiliation. In my past life, this would have shattered

I let them all see me as the v

rd: +5 Health Points. C

voke Eleanor Vance at a family dinne

grand entrance, I glanced back. Liam was trying to calm Eleanor down, his hand on her arm. She was still glaring in my

closer. The thought was a bitter pill to swallow, b