“Shameless. Mr. Lombart has been famous for ages and you dare to copy him? Look at that exhibition, how many pieces are identical to yours!”
He hadn’t just stolen one piece but he had replicated my entire portfolio. With his earlier fame and conveniently earlier timestamps, the internet was convinced I was the fraud.
I stared at the butterfly specimen in my hands, the one I’d poured so much heart and effort into. A strange calm settled over me as I tossed it into the flames.
How had he gotten access to my private work? I had never published my work. I didn’t want to think about the role Auntie might have played in this betrayal.
She would never accept the feelings I had for her. That much was clear.
After packing my things and securing the house, I finally replied to Harry, who had been urging me to join him at the dock for hours.
In my heart, I said a silent farewell, "Goodbye, Auntie. Goodbye forever.
I hadn’t been gone long when my phone buzzed with a series of furious messages.
“Joey, where are you? Why are you vanishing like this? Are you serious? How childish can you get?”
"Don't you understand? Your feelings for me will only invite endless gossip and scandal. They shouldn't exist!"