Chapter Twenty-Seven
I hide away with my broken heart, working diligently on current projects and actively seeking out new clients, until Isabelle finds me in the afternoon of Christmas Eve. I’m sitting at my desk taking a brief break and staring at Artster yet again. Staring at the messages section where there is still nothing new from LuminaireX. I was wrong when I thought I could never really lose him. Wrong when I thought that it wasn’t real just because it was all Internet-based. Of course it was real, and now I’ve lost it all.
I look up at the sound of footsteps on my stairs. Moments later, Isabelle appears in my doorway. She doesn’t say anything, just leans against the doorframe and looks at me.
“I failed again, didn’t I,” I say quietly. “I totally failed at being a friend.”
“Ma
