Ava’s POV
The days blurred together after the scandal broke.
I couldn’t keep track anymore of whether it had been three, four, or five days since my name first lit up the headlines like a spark set to gasoline. It felt endless. My phone buzzed so often it was like a living thing, vibrating with the voices of strangers, critics, family, enemies. I had shoved it into a drawer under sweaters, muffled its noise, but even in the silence, I felt its hum in my bones.
I hadn’t stepped outside since. The curtains remained drawn, thick velvet blocking out the city lights I usually loved to watch. The air inside my apartment grew stale, heavy, scented with melted wax from candles I had let burn down to stubs. Dishes piled untouched in the sink. The coffee on the table had long gone cold. I sat in
