Chapter 46
ELIZABETH
Ispent all day Friday pacing my apartment, trying to convince myself I could just not show up. I told him I would be at the finale, but then I realized that might not be a good thing. What if he didn’t want me there? What if my presence just complicated the situation.
I thought about sending an email and apologizing for breaking the contract.
I was more than ready to disappear back into obscurity where I belonged.
I realized being nobody wasn’t such a bad thing.
There were definitely some perks to anonymity.
It was the classic case of discovering the grass was not totally greener on the other side.
But I was curious. I wanted to see how Adrian and his brothers would handle the fallout.
Would they put me on blast? Continue to let me take the blame for what had been their big idea?
Adrian had texted and called several times, but it all stopped yesterday afternoon.
I knew he was back in the city. I knew what the travel itinerary had been.
And I had not heard from him, so I just assumed he was distancing himself from me. They were going to move on and that was that. I was pretty sure the job offer was no longer an option.
Monday, I was going to start looking for another job. I would apply to a few fashion houses, but I had a feeling I was radioactive right now.
Back to waitressing for me.
So that was why on Saturday evening I stood outside the venue in Manhattan.
It was some converted warehouse space in Chelsea that had been transformed into something magical for the finale.
Because of course they would go big. After the last few events, I knew they didn’t do anything small. Their shows were an experience.
I could see lights blazing inside through the industrial windows. I could hear music and voices as people gathered for the culmination of Fashion of Love Week.
The event that was supposed to save Blackwell Couture’s reputation. The one I’d probably helped destroy instead. Either way, people had shown up to see what happened.
I had dressed carefully that morning. I felt a little strange dressing myself. I had come to depend on Adrian and Annika dressing me for the events.
I was on my own without the luxury of a closet full of couture dresses. And my closet was severely lacking. That didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try.
I changed outfits three times before settling on something that would help me disappear.
Black pants, black top, an oversized shawl that I could wrap around myself like armor, and the biggest sunglasses I owned despite the evening hour.
The look screamed “fashion person trying to be low-key,” which was perfect.
In this crowd, I’d blend right in. Just another industry professional who valued privacy.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Chris again. He’d been calling all day, trying to make sure I was okay, still apologizing for the hundredth time for his role in the disaster. I silenced it without looking.
I joined the stream of people entering, kept my head down, didn’t make eye contact.
Security barely glanced at my ticket. They were too busy managing the chaos of checking in celebrities and influencers and fashion royalty.
I recognized faces from magazines, from Instagram, from the shows I’d attended over the past weeks.
People who’d once smiled at me and asked for my design opinions. They used to treat me like I belonged.
Now I was invisible to them. Just as well.
Inside, the space was breathtaking. They’d created this massive runway down the center, with seating that rose up on both sides like a theater.
Screens everywhere showing the Blackwell logo with the Fashion of Love Week branding.
There were images from all the previous shows—New York, London, Paris, Milan.
A visual chronicle of the last week. Before it had fallen apart.
It was a celebration, a tribute, exactly what the brothers had envisioned when they’d first conceived of this way to honor their father.
And I was lurking in the shadows like a ghost at my own funeral.
I found a spot at the very back, near one of the exits where the crowd was thinner. People were too busy finding their seats, greeting friends, taking selfies with the dramatic lighting as their backdrop to notice one more person in sunglasses and a shawl pressed against the wall.
My heart was racing. This was a mistake. Being here, seeing all of this, knowing I should be backstage with Annika and the team instead of hiding in the crowd like a criminal. Knowing that somewhere in this building, Adrian was preparing for his big moment, probably not even thinking about me.
Why would he? I left. Once he found out it was Chris that ran his mouth and exposed our arrangement, he would never want to talk to me again.
And I didn’t blame him.
I wondered if Clara would be walking in the show tonight. If I saw the woman, I wasn’t sure I could contain my anger. I wanted to claw the bitch’s eyes out. I wasn’t a violent person, but that woman had gone too far.
“Miss, you need to find your seat.” A venue worker appeared at my elbow. “The show is starting soon.”
“I’m fine here.”
“Fire code. Can’t have people blocking the exits.” She was polite but firm, clearly having dealt with difficult guests all evening. “Your ticket number should correspond to a seat.”
“I don’t need a seat. I’m not staying.”
She looked confused, clearly trying to figure out if I was a problem or just eccentric. Before she could decide, the lights dimmed and music swelled and everyone started moving toward their seats. The energy in the room shifted, anticipation building.
I pressed myself against the wall, trying to be invisible. Just a few more minutes. I’d see the show start and then slip out before anyone noticed. Before anyone could point and whisper about the fake fiancée who’d tried to scheme her way into the Blackwell family.
The curtain was still closed, but I could see movement behind it. The shadows of people getting into position. I imagined Annika back there, making last-minute adjustments, pins between her teeth, completely in her element.
I should be there with her. Should be part of the team instead of hiding like a coward. I missed being part of the action. I missed the frenzy of trying to get everything just perfect. The electric energy as models got the finishing touches. Music and lighting were dialed in.
Then, in a gap between fabric panels, I saw him.
Adrian.
He was peeking out at the crowd, scanning the seats with a frown.
Even from this distance and the dim lighting, I knew that face.
I had memorized every line. I knew every expression.
The way his jaw set when he was stressed, the way his eyes softened when he looked at something he cared about, the way his mouth curved when he was trying not to smile.
Was he looking for me?
No. That was ridiculous. He was probably just checking attendance, making sure the VIPs were in place, doing the CEO thing he did so well. He would be making sure everything was perfect for this final show. His final tribute to his father.
But something about the way he was searching, the almost desperate quality to it made me concerned. Was there something going on backstage?
No. It was clear he was looking for someone. Maybe he was looking for me.
Panic hit me like a wave. This was a mistake. A huge mistake. I couldn’t be here. I couldn’t watch him up there being hot and perfect while I lurked in the shadows in disguise. I wasn’t going to spend the rest of my life wondering what might have happened if I’d been brave enough to be honest.
I needed to leave. Now. Before the show started, before I did something stupid like try to go to him.
I turned toward the exit, ready to slip out and back into obscurity. I was ready to go back to my apartment and my old life. I realized now it wasn’t so bad.
A soft hand caught my wrist.
“I knew it was you.”
I turned to find Annika standing there with a knowing smile on her face. “Annika.”
“Are you in disguise?” she asked with a smile.
I grimaced. “I guess it didn’t work.”
“You have a signature style, even in how you dress yourself.”
“I was just leaving.”
“No, you weren’t.” She kept her hand on my wrist. “You were panicking and running, which is very you, but also very stupid right now.”
“I can’t be here. If people recognize me it’s going to be a nightmare.”
“They won’t. Not in the dark, not in the crowd.” She tugged me further into the shadows, away from the main pathway where stragglers were still finding their seats. “But Elizabeth, you need to stay. You’ll want to see this.”
“See what? The grand finale of the event I helped ruin?” My voice broke slightly. “Watch Adrian succeed despite me being a disaster?”
“You didn’t ruin anything.”
“Why should I stand here and watch him up there, knowing I’ll never be part of his world again?”
“Because Adrian has something to say. Something you need to hear.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You will. Just stay. Please.” She squeezed my hand once more, then released me. “Hide in your shadows if you must. But watch. Listen. And try to keep an open mind. Trust me on this.”
Before I could respond, she disappeared into the backstage area, leaving me alone with my confusion and my nerves.
The lights went fully dark. The crowd settled into expectant silence. The music shifted into something dramatic.
The show was beginning.
I pressed myself further into my corner, making myself as small as possible. Just watch, Annika had said. Just listen.
So I would. One last time.
Then I’d figure out how to pick up the pieces of my shattered life and move forward.