Chapter 199

• The email appeared in my inbox just after noon, at a moment when I was least expecting anything beyond invoices and client updates. I was at the boutique’s back table with fabric swatches spread out in uneven rows. Some were pinned to paper, others draped across the wood, the colors shifting under the light. I had been deciding which set would suit a client’s winter commission when the subject line caught my attention.
• Special Exhibition Opportunity.
• I almost didn’t open it. These subject lines often belonged to curated showcases that offered more exposure than substance, and almost always required the kind of energy I no longer wasted on appearances that were not aligned with my values. Still, something in me hesitated. The sender’s name was familiar. When I clicked it open, I understood why.