“I’m really glad I met you.”
My heart lurches in my chest and I begin to fiddle with my necklace, pressing my fingers into the sharp-edged gold to calm myself.
“You too.”
“Maybe we can grab lunch, sometime?”
Maybe…if you don’t hate me after tonight.
“I’d like that.”
“Good.” Her eyes crinkle at the corners, catching on the pendant in my hands. “You know, it’s funny… I have that exact same necklace at home.”
I stop breathing.
“I’ve had it forever.” She shrugs. “I guess it’s kind of my lucky charm.”
What are the odds of that?
“Really?” I ask, my voice cracking.
She nods. “My dad gave it to me when I was little. He said when you keep the sun by your heart, the shadows can’t ever get close.”
My hand drops away from the necklace, as though the metal has scalded me.
No.
No way.
This necklace was a gift from my mother.
Not from him.
Not from the father who never wanted me.
Not the father who called me a mistake.
No.
Nothing makes sense as I stand there looking at her, failing to form a single word as my mind spins out of control. I don’t even try to respond; I just force one last smile, turn on my heel, and slip out the doors without another word. The necklace I’ve worn for nearly a decade hangs heavy around my neck, weighted down by secrets. My mother’s, my father’s… I can barely keep track, anymore.
My fingers itch to rip it off and toss it away, as it swings gently against my chest with each step — rhythmic little taps from a pendulum of lies. I contemplate calling my mother, demanding answers I’m not even sure I want to hear… but I can’t. This conversation isn’t one I can now, in the middle of a gala.
My heart races nearly as fast as the thoughts in my mind as I wander dazedly across the atrium. I’m almost back to the ballroom when I spot the front doors, leading out onto the street.
I freeze, staring at them, confronted with the ultimate choice.
I can flee.
I can pick up my dress and run out into the night, away from Vanessa’s words, from the half-sister I’ll never get a chance to love, from the necklace that now symbolizes a lifetime of lies.
I can do it.
But, I’ll also be running away from Chase.
And, I’m not sure when it happened, I’m not sure how it happened… but leaving him behind has become something I absolutelycan’tlive with.
So, I package up all the pretty little lies I’ve lived my life by in a box at the back of my mind. I take a deep breath, steady my shoulders… and I head into the ballroom. Because even if my world has morphed into a place I barely recognize anymore, even if nothing at all makes sense, even if I’m falling rapidly into chaos…