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    Raymond studied the final portraits with quiet admiration. The likeness was uncanny, but what struck him more was how well the pairplemented each other, even on paper.

    “The portraits areplete,” he said with a pleasant smile. “Would either of you like to suggest any final touches?b” /b

    Brian gave a brief shake of the head after a moment’s thought.

    Jessica, however, spoke up. “If it’s not too much trouble, could you add a lily brooch on his chest?”

    With that, he gave a simple but precise description of the design.

    The artist nodded and quickly adjusted the drawing, brush moving with practiced ease.

    Meanwhile, the livestream chat was aze. Viewersb, /bcurious and ever resourceful, had begun digging through old photos of Brian online.

    [Nothing. Ibed through every photo of Brian and there’s no sign of that lily brooch.]

    [Same here. Even asked an AI. It confirmed there’s no record of it.]

    [I did too. He’s never worn a lily brooch. Could it be that it doesn’t even belong to him?]

    [What are you suggesting? Maybe it’s just something special between the two of them.]

    [Exactly. If Jessica mentioned it, it must mean something. Just because it wasn’t photographed doesn’t mean it didn’t exist.]

    [Agreed. Those two have always seemed genuine.]

    [Or maybe not. What if it was a gift from Jessica to her first love?]

    [Unlikely. Jessica’s first love was clearly Brian.]

    [That’s still up for debate.]

    [Enough spection. Can’t the director just ask her directly?]

    [Yes! Raymond, ask Jessica about the brooch already.]

    [Can we please bget /ba straight answer? Raymond, ask her!]

    [Raymond, we’re all waiting!]

    bAs /bthe stream flooded with spection, Raymond, always attuned to the rhythm of public interest, saw an opportunity to let the moment linger. A small mystery was often worth more than a clear answer.

    With that, he turned back to Jessica.

    17:11 Thub, /bbSep /bb18 /b

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    “Ms. Grant,” he began lightly, “our viewers are quite intrigued. They say Mr. Atkinson’s never been seen wearing a lily brooch, and they’re wondering about its bstory/b. Would you mind sharing a bit more?”

    Brian nced at her, brow faintly furrowed. The brooch didn’t ring a bell.

    Jessica offered a faint smile, calm andposed. “Of course. I made it myself, years ago, when we first got together. It was meant as a keepsake, and I did give it away.” She paused, just briefly. “As for where it ended up…”

    Brian caught the flicker of sorrow in her eyes. In that moment, a memory resurfaced. Jessica had indeed once given him a brooch like that. But he had let Madeline take it, without a word.

    A cold weight settled in his chest. “I’m sorry,” he said at once.

    Jessica turned her head slightly, avoiding his gaze. “It’s all in the past,” she replied, her tone light but distant.

    In the livestream chat, confusion rippled through the viewers.

    [Wait, what?]

    [No no no, don’t skip that. I need to know.]

    [There’s definitely more to this.]

    [Did Brian give the brooch to someone else?]

    [Seems likely. Why else would he apologize?]

    [That’s low, if true.]

    [There must be a misunderstanding. Brian doesn’t seem like that.]

    [Let’s not forget. They did get divorced.]

    [Just say it outright. Please.]

    [Right? Enough with the cryptic answers. What happened?]

    [The suspense is killing me.]

    b[/bIt’s unbearable.]

    [Does anyone actually know the story? Someone dig it up. I can’t take this.]

    [+1]

    Raymond nced at the barrage ofments flooding the livestream. He, too, sensed there was more to uncover and instinctively leaned forward to press the question, only to be halted by a sharp nce from

    Brian.

    He froze, the message clear. With a nervousugh, he backed down.

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    He shifted the topic. b“/bIs that so? I never would’ve guessed Ms. Grant was into crafts. That’s impressive.”

    Jessica gave a faint smile. “I learned a long time ago. Haven’t kept it up, though. At this point, I doubt I could

    make another.”

    Brian’s expression tightened. Her words, spoken so lightly,nded heavily. He silently resolved that once filming wrapped, he would call Jackson and do whatever it took to retrieve that lily brooch.

    But first, he needed to ease the tension between them.

    “I could learn,” he said, gently. “Make one for you. If… you’d be willing to ept it.”

    He thought, ‘Jessi, I really do regret it. Just give me a chance to make amends.

    Jessica shook her head slightly. “It’s alright. What’s gone is gone. Even if it looked the same, it wouldn’t feel the

    same.”

    She had never wanted a recement. There was no meaning in recreating what had already been lost.

    Brian’s eyes dimmed, the shift in his expression unmistakable.

    Jessica turned away. However miserable he looked now, it couldn’tpare to how she had felt when she realized he’d given the brooch to Madeline.

    Then again, none of this truly mattered anymore. As she’d said, it was the past.

    She didn’t even know why she’d brought it up in the first ce.

    Frowning slightly, she hesitated, then added, “Don’t take it the wrong way. I wasn’t trying to stir anything up. The memory just came back. It’s not like the brooch matters. It’s not as if I ever saw you wear it.”

    Thatst sentencended like another blow.

    Brian opened his mouth. “That’s not… Jessib, /bI…”

    But the words wouldn’te. Nothing he could say would fix it, so he fell silent.

    Jessica didn’t press. She had said all she intended to. When she saw Brian falter and fall quiet, she simply turned her gaze toward the horizon, anything to avoid the familiar face that still had the power to unsettle her.

    The silence between them thickened.

    bJust /bas Brian steadied himself to speak again, Peyton, one of the judges, suddenly stepped in.

    “Ms. Grant, I think there’s been some misunderstanding,” she said, her voice calm and pleasant. “I actually recall seeing Mr. Atkinson wear a lily–shaped brooch at several events. It always caught my attention.

    “I meant to ask him about it, but he was… well, a little hard to approach. He’d say a few words, then bexcuse /bhimself. I never imagined bI’d /bget the answer here, on this show.”

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    Though Peyton spoke gently, with every appearance of trying to help, something about her tone unsettled Jessica. She couldn’t quite say why, but the difort was immediate.

    And she wasn’t alone. The livestreamment section lit up once more.

    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and

    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!