CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR – SPIRALLING OUT OF CONTROL

It wasn't until hours later, when the live stream had finally concluded and the rush of adrenaline had faded, that the weight of what had transpired truly hit Jasmine. She had stood there, surrounded by the trappings of her newfound success, and felt something she hadn't experienced in a long time – a profound, gut-wrenching sense of emptiness. Sinking onto the plush velvet chaise in the corner of her studio, she buried her face in her hands, hot tears of shame and regret slipping through her fingers. How had she let things spiral so out of control? In her single-minded pursuit of fame and validation, she had allowed the very relationships that meant the most to her to fracture and fade, slowly but surely. Claire's disappointment, Gordon's wounded pride – these were the prices she had paid for her obsession, the collateral damage of her relentless chase for the spotlight. As the tears flowed freely, Jasmine found herself yearning for the simplicity of those early days, when her n