“Ethical,” she says slowly. Her gaze flashes to my ring. “Let’s talk about blood diamonds.”

Now this is a question I’m prepared for. “We don’t use them. In fact . . .”

Ten minutes later, I’m off the air. Haley slips off her headphones.

“Your speech was impressive,” she says. “I don’t know if I agree, but you defended yourself well.”

“Thanks for having me.”

The assistant asks me and Haley to pose for a photo together. Her follower count is huge, so of course, I say yes. When we’re done, I head to the elevator and check my phone. There’s a stream of supportive messages from fans who tuned in and a steady spurt of new followers. One notification in particular catches my eye—an Instagram DM from Raj. He must have followed me.

“You killed it on air,” he wrote, adding a smiley face emoji.

I can’t believe he tuned in. I follow him back.

I toggle through the rest of my notifications, and that’s when I see the email that makes my heart sink.

My first instinct is to call an Uber, but that’s a splurge I can’t afford these days. I hop on the subway, which is mercifully not too crowded at this lazy dip in the afternoon, and head back to Williamsburg. On the train, I think through how I’ll present this to Sophie. No matter how I relay the news, it won’t be pleasant. But at least I can soften the blow. Wine isn’t the right answer—she’s not really drinking much these days, since alcohol can apparently decrease your chance of getting pregnant. (Yet another reason I’m happy to be uninterested in having children right now, or possibly ever.) But I know her weakness. I make a slight detour from the subway to the shop to pick up a whole steaming hot pie at Joe’s Pizza on Bedford Avenue. It’s worth it.

Her eyes light up when I carry the white box through the doors of the shop. Sophie’s working on her laptop while Jess helps a couple compare stones on a black velvet display tray. I don’t dare disturb the sale, so I take the pizza to the back room and work quietly until it’s time to close up.

I’m not even trying to listen in, but the shop is small; I can’t help but notice when I hear Jess ask in a faux-casual tone, “So, how did you hear of Brooklyn Jewels?”

The female customer’s response is instantaneous and cheery. “You came up on my Instagram Explore feed!”

“Oh, love that!” Jess chirps, her voice smooth like syrup.