King of Pride

A week passes, and Kai continues to secretly see Isabella. Due to the illicit nature of their relationship, he can’t take her to the Saxon Gallery’s big winter exhibition, which Clarissa has helped coordinate. Isabella shows up at the exhibition anyway, claiming to be attending with her brother. When a man whom Kai knows as Oscar—one of the gallery’s featured artists—drapes an arm around Isabella’s shoulders and acts comfortable with her, Kai becomes jealous only to discover that he is Felix, her adopted brother, and that Oscar is his artist pseudonym. At the end of the night, Kai discovers a note in his pocket that says, “Be careful. Not everyone is who they seem” (184).

Throughout the second half of December, all their peers leave the city for the holidays, leaving Isabella and Kai behind. They spend time in each other’s apartments and occasionally go on discreet dates in underpopulated places to avoid getting discovered. During a night in at Kai’s place, he asks Isabella to spend Christmas with him in the city, and she agrees.