Chapter 11
My life changed, but not all at once.
I still took the bus.
I still packed leftovers for lunch.
I still checked prices before buying anything.
But people looked at me differently at work.
Some with respect.
Some with resentment.
Some customers asked for selfies.
That was the strangest part.
One week they watched me get slapped.
The next, they called me brave like it was a brand.
I hated that too.
I did not want to become inspiration for people who still left clothes on dressing room floors.
Elise protected me.
“No photos with staff,” she told a woman one afternoon.
“But she’s famous.”
“She is working.”
That simple sentence made my throat tighten.
Alexander visited the boutique less after the press conference.
When he did, he kept distance.
Professional.
Respectful.
Frustratingly kind.
I told myself I was relieved.
I was lying.
One night, after closing, I found him outside the store looking at the empty walkway.
“Long day?” I asked.
He turned.
“Very.”
“Billionaire problems?”
A small smile.
“Mostly lawyer problems.”
“Poor you.”
“I deserve that.”
We stood in silence.
Then he said, “Garrett’s partners are turning on him.”
“Good.”
“He may face charges.”
“Better.”
He looked at me.
“Are you okay with what comes next?”
“What comes next?”
“Attention. Testimony. People trying to discredit you again.”
I looked through the glass at the boutique.
At the place where I had almost knelt.
“I’m scared.”
He nodded.
“But?”
May you like
I smiled faintly.
“But I’m not kneeling.”
