Adeline learned early that survival was a quiet thing. It didn't arrive with applause or comfort; it came with calculations—how much food could stretch till the end of the week, which bills could wait, and how long her body could keep up with the work she never spoke about at home.Morcote was beautiful in the way postcards lied about. Tourists saw blue water and narrow streets wrapped in sunlight. Adeline saw cracked walls, unpaid notices, and the careful way her parents avoided money conversations when she was in the room.Her father drove a concrete mixer truck, leaving before dawn and returning with exhaustion carved into his shoulders. Her mother taught middle school, grading papers late into the night. It was enough to live, but never enough to dream.So Adeline danced.Sixth Sense wasn't glamorous the way people imagined. It was a small club tucked away from the prettier parts of town, dimly lit, loud enough to drown out thought. Men came there to forget their names for an hour. Adeline learned how to smile without meaning it, how to move without inviting questions, and how to leave everything at the door when her shift ended.Adeline stripped day and night to satisfy men whose wives weren't capable She didn't drink. She didn't flirt beyond what was required. She worked for her daily pay and sent most of it home.Her coworkers and people who did the same thing with her usually grew jealous because she had the looks and the shape.The way she moved her body showed professionalism in the business and the men always chose her for entertainment. Everybody thought she was very luckyThe only person who knew the truth was Rory, her best friend."Yoo, Adel, what's good?" Rory's voice burst through the phone the moment Adeline answered.Adeline smiled despite herself. "Hey. You sound like you've already started the night.""Because I have plans—and now so do you."Rory had always been like that. Confident where Adeline was careful. Loud where Adeline listened. They'd grown up together before Rory's parents moved to Milan, before money made Rory's world bigger and Adeline's stayed small."I'm working tonight," Adeline said weakly."Not anymore. You're off, right?""Yes, but—""No buts. We're going out. Banquet. Real food. Real people."Adeline froze. "A banquet?""Relax. I've got the dress, the makeup—everything. Just be ready by six."The line went dead before Adeline could protest.She stared at her phone, heart racing. Places like banquets weren't for people like her. She knew how to exist in the shadows, not under chandeliers.But Rory had never led her wrong.At least, not before.
