Six months later, the winners of the Pollock Prize were announced.
My painting, Shattered Emerald, won Painting of the Year.
The judges described it as "a powerful exploration of loss and rebirth, rendered with extraordinary emotional depth and precision."
As the winner, I stood on the stage of the Palais de Chaillot in Paris.
The audience was filled with some of the most respected names in the art world, painters, critics, collectors, and curators from across the globe. Every eye in the room was on me.
When the spotlight hit my face, I suddenly thought back to that night one year ago, sitting alone in Gavin's house, feeding every painting I'd ever made of him into the fire.
Back then, I thought I'd never escape that life. Now I was standing on one of the biggest stages in the world.
