10 Chapter 10 - Corridor Confrontation 10 Chapter 10 - Corridor Confrontation Rain drummed softly on the glass ceiling of Midtown's most coveted showroom, where light pooled like honey across bolts of ocean-dyed silk. 1 Lina Hart stood at the center, surrounded by mannequins dressed in her newest line: asymmetrical cuts, raw-edge hems, fabrics stitched with memory. Each piece told a story. Each piece declared survival. She adjusted a draped shoulder on a model, concentration honed like a blade. Then the air shifted. She didn't turn. "I was wrong," Mason said from behind her. She exhaled slowly. "You should leave." But he didn't. His reflection appeared in the floor-to-ceiling mirror across from her-tall, solemn, haunted. "You look different," he said. "Good," Lina replied. "She died five years ago." "You know I didn't mean to choose-" She spun, eyes like polished steel. "But you did. Without hesitation." His mouth opened, then shut. She stepped toward him, each word clipped and clear. "You handed me over like luggage. While she cried in your arms, I was bound and thrown into the dark. You never even tried to find me." "I thought you were gone." "No, Mason," she said. "You hoped I was." 10:13 11A < 10 Chapter 10 - Corridor Confrontation Silence hung between them. His shoulders sagged. "I didn't realize what I felt until it was too late." She laughed, bitter and soft. "That's the most honest thing you've ever said to me." "I loved you," he insisted. "No," she said quietly. "You loved being loved. That's different." Mason flinched. She walked past him, toward the cutting table. He followed. "Why didn't you tell anyone you survived?" "Why didn't you search?" she countered. He looked at her-really looked-and saw it then: this wasn't Caroline, the woman who memorized his coffee order and shrank to fit his silences. This was Lina. And she didn't belong to him. "I want to fix this." he said. She chuckled. "You want to erase your guilt." "Is that so wrong?" "Yes," she said, turning. "Because it centers you again. This isn't about *you*, Mason." "I need a chance-" "No," she cut in, firm. "What you need is to feel forgiven. What I need is to never let someone else decide my value again." She pointed to a dress nearby-deep navy, sculpted bodice, seams intentionally frayed. "I made that the night I stopped waiting for you." 10.13 < 10 Chapter 10 - Corridor Confrontation He didn't answer. She stepped forward, voice calm. "You didn't break me. But you taught me exactly what not to return to." A beat of silence. Then Mason's voice dropped to a whisper. "Is there someone else?" Lina stared. He already knew the answer. And it wasn't the real question. "You lost me before the van, Mason. Long before." His face crumpled. But Lina didn't waver. She nodded once-curt, decisive-then turned her back and walked toward the open floor of fabric and future. Behind her, Mason's footsteps didn't follow. This time, he got the message. - Outside, the drizzle had turned to downpour, Paparazzi lenses waited like blinking eyes, hoping for a headline. Bruce stood by the car, umbrella raised, already reading her expression. He opened the door without comment. She slid in. "I'm guessing he didn't offer tea and closure." Lina let out a quiet breath. "No. But he offered a mirror." 10:13 31A < 10 Chapter 10 - Corridor Confrontation Bruce handed her a thermos. "Then we toast to clarity." She accepted it, fingers brushing his. Warmth. Steady. Simple. No ghosts attached. Back in the studio, she pulled out a fresh bolt of teal chiffon and began cutting. Each snip of the scissors was precise. Each line was hers. Mason's regret no longer lived rent-free in her chest. It was returned. Filed. Released. And with it, a space cleared-for something better to grow, Comment O Leave the first comment for this chapter. Vote Show cunnort to the author hy leaving comments when sending gift. Send Gifts