When everything falls apart
1125 Words
The message was sent at 9:12 a.m.
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No warning.
No hesitation.
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Just one tap.
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And everything—
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Broke.
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It started with silence.
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A strange, unnatural silence.
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Phones lighting up.
Eyes widening.
Conversations stopping mid-sentence.
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Then—
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Whispers.
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Louder than ever before.
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“Is that—?”
“No way…”
“It’s them.”
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I didn’t need to check.
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I already knew.
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But I did anyway.
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And the moment I saw it—
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My chest tightened.
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The photo.
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Clearer this time.
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Edited.
Sharpened.
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Impossible to deny.
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Me.
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And Ethan.
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Too close.
Too intimate.
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Too real.
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The room spun—
Just slightly.
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But I didn’t fall.
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I refused to.
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Because breaking now—
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Would only give them what they wanted.
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Across the office—
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Everyone was looking at me.
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Not hiding it.
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Not pretending.
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Judgment.
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Curiosity.
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Satisfaction.
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“She really did it.”
“I knew it.”
“Unbelievable.”
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I stood up.
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Slowly.
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Steady.
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And walked.
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Through all of it.
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Because if I stopped—
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I might not move again.
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“Lara.”
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I didn’t turn.
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Not until—
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“Wait.”
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Ethan.
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His voice—
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Different.
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Not controlled.
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Not calm.
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Angry.
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I turned slowly.
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And for the first time—
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I saw it clearly.
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He had lost control.
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“You knew,” he said.
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Not a question.
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A realization.
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“I found out last night.”
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Silence.
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“And you didn’t tell me?”
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I held his gaze.
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“I was going to handle it.”
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“That’s not your decision to make.”
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“And losing everything is?” I shot back.
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That hit.
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Hard.
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Because now—
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There was no hiding.
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No distance.
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No control left.
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“This never should’ve happened,” he said.
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And that—
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That hurt more than anything.
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“Then why did it?” I asked quietly.
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Silence.
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Because neither of us had an answer.
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“Mr. Ethan.”
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That voice—
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Cut through everything.
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Victoria.
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Of course.
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Perfect timing.
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“I think you should see this,” she said calmly.
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He already had.
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We both had.
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Everyone had.
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But that wasn’t the point.
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“This is a serious violation,” she continued.
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Her tone—
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Professional.
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Controlled.
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But her eyes—
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They weren’t.
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“This affects the company’s reputation.”
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A pause.
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“And leadership credibility.”
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Another hit.
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Calculated.
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“Handle it,” she added quietly.
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Then turned—
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And walked away.
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But not before—
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Looking at me.
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Not with anger.
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With victory.
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The tension snapped.
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And everything spiraled.
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“You need to stay away from her.”
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Daniel.
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I turned.
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He stood there—
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Watching.
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Calm.
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Too calm.
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“This isn’t your concern,” Ethan said coldly.
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“It is when it becomes public,” Daniel replied.
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“You’ve done enough.”
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A pause.
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Then—
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“You think I did this?” Daniel asked.
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Silence.
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Because—
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Yes.
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“You’re not the only one watching,” he added quietly.
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That—
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That changed everything.
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“What does that mean?” I asked sharply.
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But he didn’t answer.
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Just smiled—
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And walked away.
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Leaving behind—
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More questions.
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More danger.
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More uncertainty.
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The fallout was immediate.
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Emails.
Meetings.
Closed doors.
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And then—
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“Lara.”
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I looked up.
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“Come with me.”
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Victoria.
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Again.
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But this time—
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There was no mask.
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“This is over.”
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Her words were cold.
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Final.
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“You’ve compromised everything.”
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“I didn’t leak it.”
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“It doesn’t matter.”
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A pause.
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“You’re suspended. Effective immediately.”
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The words echoed.
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Suspended.
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Just like that.
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Everything I had built—
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Gone.
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“You can’t do that.”
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“I just did.”
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Silence.
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Because I knew—
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There was nothing I could say.
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No way to fight it.
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Not now.
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I walked out.
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Past the same people.
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The same looks.
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But this time—
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They were different.
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Not curiosity.
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Certainty.
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“She’s finished.”
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Outside—
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The air felt colder.
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Sharper.
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Real.
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And for the first time—
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I stopped.
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Because everything—
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Everything hit at once.
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The rumors.
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The exposure.
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The betrayal.
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The loss.
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And him.
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Because in the end—
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He didn’t choose me.
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He chose control.
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And maybe—
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He was right.
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Because this—
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This had destroyed everything.
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My chest tightened.
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And this time—
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I couldn’t stop it.
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The tears came.
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Quiet.
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Uncontrolled.
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Because I had fought—
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For so long.
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And still—
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I lost.
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Across the street—
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A car idled.
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Watching.
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Waiting.
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And inside—
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A pair of eyes followed me closely.
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Not satisfied.
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Not done.
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Because this—
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This wasn’t the end.
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It was just the beginning.
- Writer
