Chapter 8
By the time I woke up the next morning, Mason was already gone.
That wasn’t unusual.
What was unusual? He’d actually left breakfast on the table.
Steak Orange juice. Perfectly plated.
But as I stared at it, all I really wanted was some donuts and coffee.
“I heard Rolin came back last night? And fought Mason over you?”
Nina’s texts always came faster than the speed of light.
I replied quickly, trying to put out her gossip fire with cold facts.
Honestly, I wasn’t in the mood for drama. I was more interested in what Rolin had planned for his new brand.
“It’s a solid opportunity. He’s got a good rep in the industry. You should try it”
“But… not to rain on your parade–haven’t touched design in years, right? That skill might be a little rusty.”
I knew she was right.
Back in college, it was all abour hand–drawn sketches.
H
Now everything ran on digital software. Advanced tools. Complex rendering parameters I couldn’t even pronounce.
“The university next door just started a fashion design course. Come stay at my place you can audit the classes at night, and I’ll tutor you during the day.”
She immediately deleted the message.
“Walt no forget it. If Mason finds out I lured you over, I’m dead”
“Too late. Sign me up. I’ll be at your place tonight.
I just packed my bag and got ready to go.
That’s when Mason
ncalled.
“I’ll be out of town for the next few days. Business trip. Just me this time.”
“Perfect. I was heading to Nina’s anyway.‘
“Chloe’s staying at the office. I’m thinking about moving her to a different position.”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me.” I cut him off before he could keep spinning his PR statement.
“She’s been your assistant for years. Wouldn’t it be weird for you to switch all of a sudden?”
Silence on the other end.
Then finally-
“Sabrina… let’s talk when I get back.”
He was still sharp.
He knew He’d always known
Chloe was the wedge between us. He could’ve done something about it long ago.
But instead, he made me out to be the Irrational one and questioned myself.
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And I believed him for years.
Now I knew better. It wasn’t that he didn’t understand,
He just didn’t want to.
“Holy crap, Sabrina. What happened to you?”
Nina stared at my sketch like it had personally offended her.
“These lines are all over the place. And this won you first place back then?!”
I groaned and buried my head in the desk.
Technically, I was a fine arts major. I only ever dabbled in fashion design.
The design award I won years ago? That was during my prime. My peak
If, as Nina said, I used to be terrifyingly good
Then now, I was tragically bad.
So I buckled down
Crammed fundamentals during the day. Took night classes at university
Pulled late–nighters to finish class assignments.
For the first time in years, my days felt full.
And the deeper I dove into design….
The less I thought about Mason, the less 1 cared about Chloe–all that mattered was
the work
Nina would burst out laughing whenever she saw me stumbling around, hair a mess, eyes ringed with exhaustion
“This—this right here is the real Sabrina Wells!”
And for the first time in forever…
I felt like my life was finally becoming mine again,
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