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One Sunday afternoon, the last painting went up in the flat.

Sadie arrived with a pot of chilli and all the trimmings and announced she was hosting a celebration.

"Celebrating what?"

"Your escape from disaster. Your new life." She wriggled her eyebrows. "And someone's very slow promotion from the waiting list to the main cast."

Elliot was on the sofa, drinking water, apparently deaf.

I threw a cushion at Sadie.

"Out."

She caught it, doubled over laughing.

"Look at you — so much more colour in your face than before. That's what happens when you upgrade. The flat problem gets solved and so does everything else."

My mother came too, with a bag of fruit.

The first thing she did when she walked in was study the new title certificate in the hallway for a long moment.

Then she exhaled and finally, fully, let her shoulders drop.

"Good." She touched my head. "Remember. Nothing matters more than your own name."

My nose burned. I nodded.

At the table, Sadie raised her glass.

"To Stella's new flat, new life, and new everything."

I raised mine back.

Elliot raised his.

He looked at me. His eyes, for a moment, were very deep. He said nothing extra.

One look. And somehow I felt anchored.

The doorbell rang midway through.

I opened it.

Harper.

She'd lost weight. Her face was tired. She was holding a small paper bag.

"These are yours." She held them out.

I looked inside. My diamond earrings — the ones I'd lost before the wedding. They'd been in the flat.

I didn't take them immediately.

"What do you want?"

"To return these. And to say sorry." She held my gaze. "I know you won't forgive me. I'm not asking. I just owe you that word."

I was quiet a moment. Then I took the bag.

"Is that it?"

"One more thing." She hesitated. "That day when you said picking up someone else's rubbish isn't a prize — I was angry for a long time. Then I realised you were right."

I said nothing.

She stepped back, turned, went a few steps, then stopped.

"Stella. You're stronger than me."

"I'm not stronger." My voice was even. "I just finally stopped accepting losses."

She nodded. And walked away.

I closed the door and came back to the table.

Sadie: "Who was that?"

"Old accounts."

"Settled?"

I looked toward the window.

"Settled."