Chapter 32

• The boutique was quiet when I returned the next morning.
• Not empty, just still in a way that felt different from the usual rhythm of the space. The lights had already been dimmed to their softer evening setting, casting the walls in a warm golden hue. I could hear the low hum of the air system and the distant shuffle of Simone’s heels upstairs, but beyond that, the world had taken a breath.
• I walked toward the main floor and stood in front of the newest display. The mannequin wore a piece from the capsule, the one I had stitched myself. It wasn’t about the fabric or the silhouette anymore. It was about what it meant. Survival, reclaimed. Power, redefined.