I feel like someone sucker-punched me right in the stomach, leaving me completely bruised and breathless. Tears prick my eyes and I hate myself for it. I don’t want to cry in front of the execs. Not now. Not like this. But I don’t know how else to react.

An ultimatum. The exact same move they tried to pull with me. And when that didn’t work? They went behind my back to strike a deal with DB. Leveraging themselves just like Mr. Noh leveraged all the DB groups against N&G. I suddenly remember the Snap Map. The girls were all together at DB headquarters last night. I can’t believe while I was lying in bed, they were here, putting an end to my career. Destroying our sisterhood.

I thought the impossible choice they posed to me was just a power play to make me give up my fashion line. I never thought they were actually trying to force me out of the group. I think of all the times I explained away the girls’ actions—to Alex, to Leah, and to myself. I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. To see things from their point of view. And now I’m not sure if that was just incredibly naive, or if deep down, I saw the writing on the wall and just couldn’t admit it.

But no, I don’t accept that. There was no writing on the wall—not for something as bad as this. There’s no way I could ever have expected it. It’s unprecedented. Unheard of. And profoundly cruel.

My fists tighten, nails digging into my palms. I push down my emotions—the hurt, the sadness, the rage—and instead morph into survival mode. I adjust the sleeves of my pink power blazer and look to Umma, and let her presence give me strength. I need to channel her. I need to be practical about this.

“Just to be clear, Rachel,” Mr. Noh says with the slightest hint of apprehension in his voice. “We still want the best for you. We can take care of this situation and help you control your public image. You’re still part of the DB family.”

Family. The word hits a nerve in me. I called Girls Forever my sisters. Even with all the petty jealousies and bickering, I never, ever thought they would turn on me like this. It hurts in a way I can’t fully process yet, a way that I know will crush me completely if I allow myself to wade through the shock and feel the full force of its devastation.

It’s been clear from Mr. Noh’s facial expressions from the moment I walked into this room that he doesn’t want to be doing this, but he feels like he has to. He’s trying to reassure me with his words, but they feel like empty promises.