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GRACE

I’m fine.

This will blow over.

It probably already has.

News cycles only last a few hours, right? The gossip sites have surely moved on by now. They always do.

I mean, I haven’t checked. Not because I’m ignoring it. I’m just…choosing not to look.

I tug discreetly at the hem of my mini dress, skip the line snaking around the block, and walk straight up to Aura’s entrance without breaking stride.

My friends will think this is hilarious. We’ll drink, we’ll dance, and by the end of the night we’ll laugh off the fact that I got dumped on live TV yesterday.

That part is survivable.

What we won’t talk about is my reaction.

The one the whole world watched live.

I head for the door, expecting the usual step to the side. But the bouncer—the same shiny-headed guy who’s waved me through a dozen times—just stands there.

“Excuse me,” I say, gesturing for him to move.

“Not tonight, darling,” he says. His voice is surprisingly high-pitched for how gruff he looks. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak before. For a second, I’m thrown.

“I’m on the list. Grace Whitmore.”

“Not tonight,” he replies, without even glancing at the list.

“I said Whitmore,” I say, like that should settle it. When his face doesn’t budge, I add, “Whitmore…the supplement brand.”

“I know who you are.”

A group of women I don’t recognize walks up behind me. The bouncer waves them straight through without checking IDs. They barely look twenty-one.

He steps back in front of the door, deliberately blocking my path. I stand there stunned, heat crawling up my neck. I can feel the entire line beside me staring.

This is ridiculous.

I pull my phone from my clutch and call Jasmine. She has to be inside already.

“Grace.” Her voice is faint, almost lost under the heavy bass thumping from inside.

“Hey, I’m at the door,” I tell her, fixing the bouncer with my most withering stare. He doesn’t react. “Apparently I’m not on the list.”

There’s a pause. Then a soft, nervous laugh.

“I had to take you off.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Look, I’m in negotiations for some big sponsorships. I can’t be seen with you right now. It’s social suicide. You get that, right?”

Social suicide.