him.
I regretted that six hundred strangers witnessed the collapse of my marriage.
But I did not regret refusing to protect a lie that endangered more than my dignity.
Nathan had believed the award stage would confirm the person he pretended to be.
Instead, it revealed the person he had become when he thought no one was watching.
When the fundraiser ended, I walked onto the empty stage to inspect the flowers before the crew dismantled them.
Ivory roses stood in low glass bowls beneath soft golden light.
For a moment, I remembered the bouquet at the airport.
Then Lena came beside me and handed me the final event report.
“Everything balanced,” she said.
I looked around the room, calm and beautiful after the guests had gone.
“Good,” I replied.
This time, the word belonged to me.
