Chapter 98

Agnes

Ruined.

Everything was ruined.

All of the hard work, all of the weeks spent perfecting the garments, all of the dedication of the designers who had slaved night and day to ensure that this show would go according to plan…

It was all destroyed.

The very first thing I did was fumble for my phone, my hands shaking so badly I could barely unlock it. Elijah. I needed to call Elijah. He would know what to do—he always knew what to do.

But when I called him, the phone rang once, twice, and then went straight to voicemail.

“Elijah, it’s me,” I said into the voicemail machine, my voice cracking as I tried to hold back tears. “Something’s happened. The outfits—they’re ruined. I don’t know what to do. Please, call me back.”

I hung up, staring at the screen as if it might magically summon him into the room with me. But the phone remained silent, as if the blank screen were mocking me.

And then, all at once, my fingers tightened around the phone as a single word struck me like a knife to the gut.

Olivia.

The name flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning, leaving me reeling. Of course it was her. Who else would do something like this? Who else would go out of their way to destroy everything we had worked so hard for?

She was angry. Angry that I had taken her husband, her daughter, her life. Angry that the other Lunas were in support of me and not her. Angry that I had become better than she could ever be.

It had to be her.

But there was no time to dwell on it or confront her right now. The show was supposed to start in a few hours, and I couldn’t let this ruin it. Not after everything. If she was the one who did this, then that was what she wanted—to see me clam up, melt down, fail. I couldn’t—I wouldn’t—give her the satisfaction.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to think. Maria. I needed Maria, the best designer on the team. She could help me. We could fix this together.

I called her next, my voice steadier this time. “Maria, I need you at the venue. Now. Something’s happened.”

She didn’t ask questions, just said she would be there as soon as she could.

While I waited, I started pulling the ruined pieces off the racks and laid them out on the tables. My mind raced as I tried to come up with a plan. We couldn’t entirely salvage the pieces as they were, but maybe… maybe we could turn this into something.

By the time Maria arrived, I had a rough idea forming in my head.

“Agnes, what happened?” she asked, her eyes widening as she took in the scene before her.

“Someone cut up all the outfits,” I said without going into too much detail. “We need to fix them. Now.”

Maria didn’t hesitate. She grabbed a pair of scissors and started cutting away the worst of the damage without a second thought.

“We’ll have to improvise,” she said. “We can use the scraps to create new elements—layers, ruffles, anything to cover the cuts.”

I nodded, grabbing a needle and thread. My hands were still shaking, but I forced myself to focus. Stitch by stitch, we worked, neither of us speaking unless absolutely necessary. The other designers and Lunas began to arrive, and after their initial shock wore off, they all jumped in to help as well.

Somehow, I kept the tears from falling, although I kept having to blink them away.

Gertrude showed up not long after, her arms full of fabric and supplies.

“I heard what happened,” she said, setting her things down on the table. “What can I do?”

“Help us patch these up,” I said, handing her a pair of scissors. “We need to make them look intentional.”

Gertrude nodded firmly. I knew that she knew very little about sewing, but she would do her best to help.

Somehow, the pieces started to come together. Slowly but surely, bit by bit, as the clock ticked closer and closer to the time the show was supposed to start. The cuts were still there, but now they were framed by layers of fabric, the jagged edges softened by ruffles and lace. What had once been destruction was now something new, and something…

Unexpected.

“This… actually looks good,” Maria said, holding up one of the dresses.

I stepped back, looking at the piece with fresh eyes. She was right. The new elements gave the outfits a raw, edgy feel, something I hadn’t intended but that worked surprisingly well.

“We might just pull this off,” I said, a flicker of hope sparking in my chest.

As the Lunas got dressed and went through hair and makeup, I moved through the backstage area, offering words of encouragement and making last-minute adjustments. My heart was still pounding and aching from the upset of it all, but now it was more from adrenaline than panic.

Finally, the show was about to start. I still hadn’t heard from Elijah. Had he received my voicemail?

I stepped out into the main area, my eyes scanning the crowd. The venue was packed, every seat filled with people eager to see the show.

But as I looked toward the front row, my stomach sank a little.

Elijah’s seat was still empty.

I pulled out my phone, checking for any messages from him. Nothing.

“Agnes, we’re ready to start,” Maria said, appearing at my side.

I nodded, forcing myself to focus. The show had to go on, whether Elijah was here or not.

The lights dimmed, the music started, and the first model stepped out onto the runway. The crowd erupted into applause, and for a moment, I forgot about everything else.

The outfits looked incredible under the lights, the new elements catching the light in unexpected ways. The crowd oohed and ahhed, snapping pictures of the garments. It seemed to be a success so far.

As the show went on, I felt a sense of pride growing in my chest. We’d done it. Against all odds, we’d pulled it off. Take that, Olivia, I thought bitterly.

But as the final model stepped out, my eyes drifted back to the front row to see if Elijah had made it after all. But his seat was still empty, the little ‘Reserved’ sign untouched.

He hadn’t come. Did something happen? Were he and Thea okay?

I pulled out my phone again, my heart sinking as I saw a new message notification waiting for me, but it wasn’t from Elijah: “You’re Luna Agnes, right?” the message read. “You might want to see this… If you send the money quickly, then I won’t post this picture online!”

I frowned, confused. The message was from an unknown number, and I suddenly felt wary. But I opened the image anyway, and my breath caught in my throat as I saw it.

Olivia and Elijah, sitting at a cafe table. Her hand was on his arm, his body leaning close to her, and her lips pressed to his in a searing kiss while Thea stared at them in the background.