Sarah's voice came again, quieter this time.
"Dorian?"
He swallowed. "Yeah. I'll be out in a minute."
A pause. Then: "I'll wait for you."
His heart lurched. "You... you don't have to. I'll catch up with you back in the hall."
Another pause. Longer.
"Okay."
Footsteps. The soft squeak of the outer door opening and closing.
Dorian exhaled. His legs nearly gave out. She's gone. She bought it.
Priya was still against the wall, watching him. Her eyes were wet, but her jaw was tight.
"She knows," Priya whispered. "Shippo. She knows."
"I'll handle it."
"How?" She stepped closer.
He didn't answer.
She stared at him for a long moment. Then she straightened her dress, wiped her eyes, and turned to the door. She unlocked it, her hand on the knob.
"I'm done hiding," she said quietly.
She opened the door and stepped out.
---
Sarah was standing right there.
Not gone. Her arms were crossed. Her face was pale. Her eyes were red but dry.
Priya's eyes widened. "I thought you left."
"Where is he?" Sarah's voice was quiet. Deadly.
Priya didn't flinch. "Inside."
She flicked her hair back, adjusted her dress, and let out a small chuckle—bitter, hollow. Then she shook her head.
"It's better you found out this way. He probably wasn't going to tell you anyway."
Sarah's jaw tightened. "Better for who?"
"For you." Priya's voice was steady, almost cold. "He doesn't love you. He told me he was going to break up with you. You're nothing more than a fling to him."
Sarah's face went pale. Her hands clenched into fists.
She looked past Priya, toward the bathroom door. "Dorian. Get out here."
A chill shot through Dorian. He pushed the door open and stepped out.
Sarah's eyes met his. They were wet, but she wasn't crying. Not yet. The hurt in them was deeper than tears.
She didn't say anything. She just turned and walked toward the main hall.
Dorian followed.
Priya followed behind them both.
---
They reached the entrance to the main hall. The art show hummed just beyond—music, chatter, clinking glasses. No one had noticed yet.
Dorian caught up to Sarah. He reached for her arm.
"Sarah, wait—"
She spun around. Her hand came up and hit his chest—hard. Not a slap. A shove.
"Don't touch me."
Her voice broke. A few heads turned. Jenna, near the wine station, looked up. Marcus, against the far wall, pushed off and started walking toward them. A random guy with a phone raised it.
Think fast. Lie. Deny. Something.
"It's not what you think," Dorian said. His voice was low, desperate.
"Then what is it?" Sarah's voice rose. "Because she just told me everything. She told me you said I was nothing. A fling."
"She's lying."
Priya stepped forward, her eyes flashing. "Shippo. I'm not lying and you know it."
Sarah looked between them. Her face was a battlefield—hurt, rage, disbelief.
"Did you sleep with her?" Sarah's voice echoed off the walls. More heads turned. A small crowd was forming. The guy with the phone was recording.
She knows. She's going to say it anyway. There's no way out.
Dorian's throat was sandpaper. "Sarah—"
"Answer me."
He looked at Priya. She was watching him, her eyes wet but hard.
If I say no, she'll show the proof. If I say yes, it's over.
"Yes," he said.
The word landed like a stone. Jenna's hand flew to her mouth. Marcus stopped a few feet away, arms crossed, face impassive. The crowd murmured.
Sarah didn't move. Didn't cry. She just stood there, staring at him.
"The kisses," she said. Her voice was shaking. "The hugs. The laughs. The nights you said you couldn't sleep without me." She paused. "Was any of it real?"
I don't know anymore. I don't know who I am.
Dorian said nothing.
Sarah's face went blank. That was worse.
She turned to Priya. "And you. You knew about me. You knew and you did it anyway."
Priya's chin lifted. "He told me you were nothing. He said he wanted me. If he lied to both of us, that's on him. Not me."
Sarah's hand moved.
"You slut!" she shouted, and slapped Priya across the face.
The sound cracked through the hall. Priya stumbled back, hand covering her cheek. Tears spilled.
Then Priya's eyes flashed.
She slapped Sarah back. Harder. The force of it snapped Sarah's head to the side.
The crowd gasped. Jenna stepped forward. "Stop—"
Priya's hand swung again. Another slap, even harder. Sarah staggered.
"You fucking bitch," Priya spat. "You don't get to hit me. He lied to me too. He used me. Just like he used you."
Sarah's face was red, her eyes blazing. "I don't care what he told you. You knew he was with me."
"And you knew he was lying!" Priya's voice rose. "You felt it. You knew something was wrong. But you stayed. Shippo, you stayed."
Sarah lunged at her.
Dorian grabbed Sarah's waist, pulling her back. Jenna grabbed Priya's arms. The two women strained against them, breathing hard, tears streaming down both their faces.
"Let me go!" Sarah shouted.
"Stop!" Jenna yelled. "Both of you, stop!"
Marcus stepped between them, his body a wall. His voice was low, hard. "Enough."
The crowd was silent. The guy with the phone kept recording. He was already typing a caption: "Viral picnic guy caught cheating. Watch the chaos."
Sarah stopped struggling. Her shoulders sagged. The fight drained out of her.
She looked at Dorian. Her eyes were empty now.
"I never want to see you again."
She turned and walked away. Jenna followed her.
Marcus looked at Dorian. His face was cold. "You had everything. And you threw it away. All for what?"
He walked away too.
Priya was still standing there, her cheek red, her chest heaving. Tears still fell, but her jaw was tight.
"Shippo," she whispered. "Look what you did."
She walked away. In the opposite direction. She didn't look back.
Dorian stood alone. The crowd melted away, conversations resuming like nothing had happened. The guy with the phone posted the video. Within minutes, comments flooded in: "Cancel him." "He cheated on her?" "Disgusting."
System: 5B – CONFLICT – COMPLETE. Duration: 6 minutes, 48 seconds. Witnesses: 12+.
System: 5C – DECEPTION – FAILED. Both targets have discovered irrefutable evidence of one another.
System: Due to failure of 5C, Level 5 quest has been failed.
The system interface flickered. Red letters pulsed in his vision.
DEBT COLLECTION PROTOCOL – ACTIVATED.
FIRST PAYMENT: IN PROGRESS.
Dorian felt it in his bones. A deep, aching cold spreading from the ring up his finger, into his hand, his wrist. His jaw tingled—like it was remembering how to be soft. His stomach tightened—not from nerves, but from shrinking. Like the system was undoing everything it had built.
He looked at his hands. They looked the same. For now.
He walked to a bench near the emergency exit and sat down. The art show continued around him—laughter, clinking glasses, ambient music. No one looked at him. No one cared.
Then he saw it.
On the floor near the entrance, where Sarah had walked away, lay the bracelet. The sunflower charm. She must have torn it off and thrown it.
He stared at it. His hand twitched toward it. Stopped.
I can't. Not anymore.
He left it there.
His phone buzzed. A text from Elise.
Elise: Headed out soon. Thanks for the content ✌️
He didn't answer.
Another buzz. Tyler.
Tyler: What the hell, man.
He didn't answer.
Another buzz.
Unknown: 😂😂
Unknown: The show was fun.
Unknown: I enjoyed it.
He stared at the screen. His hands were shaking.
Unknown: 😘
The ring pulsed again. The cold reached his elbow. His jaw softened further—just a fraction. Enough to feel.
The lights flickered. Not the building—his vision. The world swam.
Then the ring pulsed one last time. The lights didn't flicker—they died. So did he.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 30]
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