"You're smiling," Jessa points out.
"I know. Is that bad?"
"Hell no," Hunter says. "That asshole had it coming."
Juliet raises her wine glass. "To karma being a bitch."
"To karma," everyone echoes, raising their glasses.
I clink my glass against Silas's. "I should feel something, right? Like, shocked or upset or vindicated or something."
"What do you feel?" he asks.
I think about it. Really think about it. Enzo's arrest should be this huge moment. The man who made my life miserable, who made me feel small and worthless, who controlled every aspect of our relationship, is finally facing consequences.
But all I feel is... relief. And maybe a little bit of satisfaction.
"I feel free," I say finally. "Like this is the final proof that leaving him was the right choice."
"It was the right choice," Silas says firmly.
"I know. But now everyone else knows too." I lean into him. "Everyone's going to see him for what he really is. Not the charming agent. Not the former hockey star. Just a criminal who was willing to destroy people's careers for money."
"You think any of his clients knew?" Beck asks.
Silas shakes his head. "No way. Enzo was too smart for that. He kept everything compartmentalized."
"Well, he's screwed now," Ryan says. "Federal charges? He's going away for a long time."
The conversation shifts to speculation about the case, about which games might have been affected, about whether any current players were involved. I tune most of it out,focusing instead on the feeling of Silas's arm around me, the warmth of friends surrounding us, the life I've built that has nothing to do with Enzo anymore.
"You really okay?" Silas murmurs in my ear.
"Better than okay." I turn to look at him. "A year ago, this news would have destroyed me. I would have spent weeks obsessing over it, wondering what I could have done differently, blaming myself somehow."
"And now?"
"Now I'm just grateful I got out when I did." I kiss his cheek. "And grateful I found you."
His eyes soften. "Pretty Girl..."
"I mean it. You helped me remember who I am. You never tried to make me smaller or easier to manage. You just..." I struggle to find the words. "You just loved me. The real me."
"That's the only version worth loving."
We're interrupted by Thorne and Mollie arguing about something. She's gesturing wildly with her wine glass and he's got that stubborn set to his jaw that means he's not backing down. Juliet's filming them on her phone while Hunter provides commentary.
"They're going to kill each other or sleep together," Jessa observes. "Fifty-fifty odds."
"I've got money on sleep together," Ivy says.
"Same," Wren agrees.
"You're all delusional," Mollie calls out. "I would rather die."
"Noted," Thorne says flatly.
The party goes late. People start filtering out around eleven, promising to do this again soon. Hugs and goodbyes and tipsy declarations of friendship fill the doorway. Finallyit's just me and Silas, surrounded by empty wine bottles and dirty dishes.
