Star stood frozen, her eyes fixed on the photos Daniels held like a loaded gun.
Mandume. Olivia. A cozy dinner under fairy lights. Arms around each other. Wine. Smiles.
Her throat tightened. Her heart wanted to scream, but her pride? Her pride stood tall.
She blinked, turned her back to Daniels, and faced the mirror.
"You came here to humiliate me," she said quietly.
Daniels chuckled. "Not humiliate, educate. I thought you deserved to know the truth."
Star turned slowly, her voice steely. "And the truth is… you're a coward. You dress like him, speak like him, but you'll never be him."
Daniels' smirk faltered.
"You think Mandume betrayed me?" Star went on. "Maybe he did. Maybe he's just another man with a charming face and a crooked spine. But you…" She took a step closer. "You're worse. You use shadows to pretend you're relevant."
Daniels stared at her, searching for a reaction, but Star didn't flinch.
"Get out," she said.
Daniels didn't move.
Star didn't repeat herself. Instead, she turned, walked to the door, opened it wide.
"I said get out."
Daniels tilted his head. "You've changed, Star."
"No," she said, voice like ice. "I just stopped letting people like you write my story."
He walked out slowly, turning once to look back. But Star had already closed the door behind him.
Down the hall, Louisa slammed the door to her room shut. Her heels echoed across the wooden floors as she threw her purse onto the bed. Tomas came rushing in, breathless.
"Louisa, wait—"
"Don't you dare!" she snapped, her eyes wild with betrayal. "You said you wanted forgiveness, not to replay your sins!"
"She hugged me! I thought it was you—the lights were off, I didn't know—"
"You didn't pull away, Tomas."
That silenced him.
"I let my guard down. I trusted you," Louisa whispered, chest heaving. "And you made me look like a fool again."
Tomas reached for her, but she stepped back.
"I'm done cleaning up after men who mistake confusion for affection. I don't care if Frieda tripped and fell into your arms—you let her stay there."
He stood helpless, watching as she opened the closet and grabbed her coat.
"I'm going to check on Star. Don't follow me."
In the suite, Star sat silently on the edge of the bed. Her phone buzzed again—another missed call from a number she didn't recognize.
Then, a text:
"Please don't believe what you saw. I can explain everything. – M."
She stared at it. No emojis. No apologies. Just clean, sterile words.
Her lips curled into a bitter smile.
Another knock came at the door.
She braced herself—but this time, it was Louisa.
Without a word, her mother walked in and sat beside her. They didn't speak. Not at first.
Then Louisa gently held her daughter's hand.
"Did he hurt you?" she asked.
Star shook her head. "No. But he didn't protect me either."
Louisa sighed. "That's almost worse."
Star leaned her head on her mother's shoulder. "I thought he was different."
"Sweetheart," Louisa whispered, "if a man can't stand beside you when you're whole, he doesn't deserve you when you're breaking."
Silence settled. Then Louisa added, "Do you want to leave this place?"
Star nodded slowly. "Yes. But not defeated. I want to walk out of here like I own it."
Louisa smiled. "Good. Then let's show them how queens exit."