“Well, go ahead and take it. I have to run now anyway. But I’m glad I got to see you.” She gives me a quick hug—not a long, cozy, meaningful friend hug. Just a sweet, passing gesture. A hug that feels a lot like moving on.

“Hello? Hello? Hi! Carly! Are you still there?” I’m a little breathless as I pick up the phone before I miss the call, still reeling from the unexpected conversation with Akari.

She laughs. “Still here.”

“So nice to hear from you,” I say, definitely sounding a little too cheerful. I force myself to take a deep breath, and brace for the bad news.

“I heard about what happened, and I wanted to check in. How are you making out?”

“It’s been… hard,” I admit, my voice shaky. I take a breath. “But I’m all right. Starting to feel hopeful again,” I add, because it’s true. Because I’m seeing now that maybe life will go on and maybe I will pick up the pieces and maybe I’m lucky, at least, to know that I am surrounded by people who know me and love me.

“Really?” Carly says. “That’s fantastic. Because you’ve got a solo performance to prep for.”

“What?” I squeak. It’s, quite frankly, the very last thing I thought I would be hearing. “I figured that was canceled, considering…” I trail off. Considering the general implosion of my life and reputation since Discipline first offered me the event.

“Absolutely not. That’s why I’m calling. I wanted to make sure you knew we are one hundred percent still on board. Rachel, we liked working with you because of who you are, not because of what you were a part of,” Carly assures me. “Believe me, I’ve been through tabloid hellstorms. More than once. Careers go on. Yours already has. RACHEL K. has been doing so well! That’s got to feel good. Especially while you’re dealing with all this crap.”

And even though it sounds crazy, she’s not wrong. Against all odds, my brand has been thriving. I was worried that the scandal of me getting kicked out of Girls Forever would erase all of RACHEL K.’s early success, but as it turns out, my name being all over the media has only added to its recognition, and people are flocking to my bags. It’s helping me reach a demographic way beyond my core audience. More department stores are requesting to carry my bags every day, and design partners have already reached out to me about adding an eyewear line as my next release.

“Yes,” I say. “The line has been a light in this fog for sure.”

“The fog will clear,” Carly says. “The misery won’t last forever. I’m promising you.”