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Chapter 26: Truths and Consequences

Author: Mary Gilliam
last update Last Updated: 2024-12-12 05:43:10

Mandy’s POV

I sat at the kitchen table, my fingers running over the edges of the letter, the words blurring together in front of me. It was a letter from the club’s manager, something about my canceled performances and some backdoor deal that had been made to cover my financial losses.

The numbers were high, too high for someone who had been in my shoes for the past few months. It was generous, but it felt wrong.

I hadn’t asked for this. I hadn’t wanted it. It felt like someone had swept in and fixed things for me without asking if I needed them fixed at all.

The realization hit me like a cold wave, one that I couldn’t ignore Lucas.

He had done this. He had found a way to fix my mess, just like he always tried to do—whether I wanted him to or not. Part of me wanted to be grateful.

Hell, it was hard not to be, considering how close I’d been to losing everything. But the other part of me felt suffocated by his actions, trapped in this constant cycle where I was always the one needin
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