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“Oh, Abby…” Chloe’s voice is the first to crackle through the speaker. “I’m so
sorry we can’t be there. This food poisoning has us all in bed.”
“But we watched the whole show,” Daisy chimes in, her voice hoarse. “You did
so well, Abby.”
“I can’t believe you were sabotaged.” John’s voice is stern, even a little angry.
“Maybe it’s a good thing I wasn’t there. I would’ve beaten the pulp out of that
little shit Daniel. Would’ve gotten myself arrested.”
“Same,” Leah adds. “Trust me, Abby, everyone can tell that he’s a little snake.
Just you wait; he’ll get his comeuppance.”
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I swallow hard, my raw emotions forming a lump in my throat. “You guys,” I say,
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtmy voice wavering more than I would like it to, “you didn’t need to watch all of it.
And I lost anyway. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Are you kidding?” Ethan’s voice crackles through, although his face is frozen
due to a bad connection. “It does matter, Abby. Everyone was rooting for you.
You were a star.”
I glance at Karl, who nods slowly. “Abby, if you had checked your phone, you
would know,” he says. “Social media is on fire right now. Hashtags about you
are already cropping up: #justiceforabby. People loved you, and they’re pissed.”
Karl’s words send me spiraling. It’s all I can do not to stagger backwards. All I
can do is lean my hand on the wall to steady myself, grasping my necklace with
my other hand. “R-Really?”
Karl nods, and so does everyone else on the screen. “Yes,” he says. “Abby, this
sabotage will come to light. I’m sure of it.”
But I’m shaking my head, not able to believe any of this. “I just… I never wanted
this. I never should have competed to begin with.”
“That’s ridiculous and you know it.” Karl’s voice is firm. “Of course you should
have competed. You belong in that arena, Abby. And besides,” he adds, a
twinkle of mischief in his eyes despite the solemn set of his jaw, “Daniel’s lies
will catch up with him. If not now, then later. No one pulls stunts like that and
gets away with it; not for long, at least.”
I can’t help the snort that escapes me. Karl’s words should be soothing, but
they’re not—because he’s wrong. Men get away with this kind of stuff all of the
time, especially when it comes to putting women down for their own gain. What
makes Daniel so different?
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Hey, Abby.” Anton’s hoarse voice brings me back to the present moment. He’s
been silent this whole time, but he’s been there. “You remember what you
always say. ‘A true chef never stops.’ Don’t let this stop you.”
The chorus of agreement from the others brings tears to my eyes. My voice
feels caught in my throat as we all say goodbye. When Karl finally ends the call,
I feel like I’ve been deflated. The room feels quieter, emptier now, maybe even a
little colder. I stumble past Karl and over to my couch, where I sink down and
put my head in my hands.
But it’s not long before I hear footsteps approaching, followed by the sound of
Karl’s voice.
His eyes wander to the bottles, the half-eaten takeout that’s long since gone
cold, the red stain on the carpet that will now likely never come out, then back to
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