Nina remained rooted to the spot for a long moment after Bianca left, her hands still buried in her hair, fingers pressing against her scalp as if trying to ground herself in reality.
Her mind refused to catch up with what had just happened.
How did any of this even happen?
She exhaled slowly, feeling her shoulders drop as the full weight of the situation finally settled over her like a heavy blanket. The adrenaline that had carried her through the past hour began to ebb away, leaving behind a strange, hollow exhaustion.
I'm supposed to be a struggling actress, she thought, the words echoing in her head with bitter irony. A nobody trying to make it in this city.
Her lips parted slightly as she stared ahead, her vision unfocused, seeing nothing but the blur of her own scattered thoughts. The elegant hallway, the expensive artwork on the walls, the subtle scent of luxury that permeated every corner of this house, it all felt surreal, like a set she'd wandered onto by mistake.
