{"id":22183,"date":"2025-12-02T16:46:17","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T16:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22183"},"modified":"2025-12-02T16:46:17","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T16:46:17","slug":"22183","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readmore.cx\/?p=22183","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cMom,\u201d Lorie whispered, clutching my hand as we walked in. \u201cIt looks like a movie.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cStay close,\u201d I reminded her, my anxiety spiking.<\/span><\/p>\n

Inside, the hall was a cavern of blue light and crystal. Chandeliers hung like frozen explosions. Models in silk drifted through the crowd like ghosts. And in the center of it all stood Vanessa.<\/span><\/p>\n

She wore a silver gown that shimmered like liquid mercury. She looked powerful, untouchable. When she saw us, her smile flickered\u2014a glitch in the matrix.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRebecca,\u201d she said coolly, her eyes sliding over me to land on Lorie. \u201cYou actually came.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was invited,\u201d I replied, keeping my voice steady.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Lorie,\u201d she said, not offering a hug, not even a hand. \u201cDon\u2019t touch anything.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

My parents appeared like shadows flanking her. Susan offered a tight-lipped grimace, while Harold gave a stiff nod. \u201cYou look\u2026 decent,\u201d my mother said, the compliment dying before it left her lips.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d I said, already exhausted.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u201cMom,\u201d Lorie whispered, clutching my hand as we walked in. \u201cIt looks like a movie.\u201d \u201cStay close,\u201d I reminded her, my anxiety spiking. Inside, the hall was a cavern of blue light and crystal. Chandeliers hung like frozen explosions. Models in silk drifted through the crowd like ghosts. And in the center of it all…<\/p>\n

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