✤ Marina ✤
The moment Julian left the gallery, I stood perfectly still. Not frozen. Not shocked. Just still. The music continued to hum softly through the space, glasses clinked somewhere behind me, and a pair of patrons laughed far too loudly near the entrance. My exhibition carried on exactly as it should have, untouched by the quiet little bomb Julian had just dropped at my feet.
Adrian. A student. Photos.
I exhaled slowly and turned away from the painting in front of me, my fingers brushing the cool fabric of my dress as I crossed the gallery. I didn’t rush. I didn’t stumble. I smiled at a familiar face, nodded politely at another, and only when I reached the small side room near the storage hallway did I allow myself to pause.
“Well,” I murmured under my breath. “That is…unexpecte
