Lila’s POV
The gallery filled up with rich people really fast. Within thirty minutes, the entire room was packed with women in expensive silk dresses and men in crisp suits. I had to spend a full hour walking around the floor, holding a glass of sparkling water I didn't even want to drink. I had to keep a fake smile plastered on my face while pretending to look at modern art pieces that literally just looked like splattered paint. One canvas was literally just a giant blue square, and some guy with a weird mustache spent ten minutes explaining to me why it was deeply emotional. I just nodded along, but my brain was completely somewhere else.
I kept my eyes on the main entrance the entire time. My hand was resting against my chest, my fingers tightly gripping my mom's silver raw emerald p
