One to Watch

by Kate Stayman-London

Ruby: Exactly! Sacrifice your future at the altar of my enjoyment! Cat: She just walks down the aisle to marry some horrible jerk, sobbing, “Are you not entertained?”

“Yes, it is my place—but I am cooking someone else’s vision. Ultimately, nothing is your own unless you can make your own choices, unless success or failure rests only with you. Like with your work, no? No one tells you what to photograph, what to say. You say what you think, and this is why so many people adore you.”

It was silent in the gallery—no orchestra, no fireworks, no whir of generators and cameras. The only sounds were her breath and his, just Bea and the man she loved. He wasn’t a fantasy, he wasn’t a dream, and he wasn’t a happy ending. He was warmth and wit and kindness, a certainty and a surprise. He was the person who could hurt her most in the world, and he was worth the risk.