CHASE
The board meeting is routine. Quarterly reports. Projections. Discussions about stock recovery since Dominic announced my engagement to Elise.
I'm barely paying attention. Just present. Going through motions. Letting board members talk about futures I won't see because the curse is killing me faster than projected timelines.
My phone is on silent. Face down on the table. Professional. Appropriate.
But it lights up. Push notification. I see it from the corner of my eye.
Normally I'd ignore it. But something makes me look. Some instinct. Some warning.
The notification: Breaking News: Vivian Ashford Engaged to Ethan Beckett
I stare at it. Read it again. Certain I'm hallucinating. Certain the curse is showing me fake visions to torture me.
But the notification stays. Real. Permanent. True.
Vivian is engaged. To Ethan. To my half-brother. To the man who's been supporting her. Comforting her. Being everything I'm not.
