Page 140 of What Goes Around

It turned out Marissa and my dad had known each other long before my mother ever existed in his life. Same hometown. Same high school. Marissa was two years younger. They’d hooked up. Nothing official. Brandon hadn’t wanted to commit.

When he left for college at Berkeley, they drifted apart. Marissa still had two years of school left. At Berkeley, Brandon met Ines. Love at first sight. His first serious relationship. The one he chose. The one he committed to.

Two years later, Marissa followed him.

She arrived with expectations she had built entirely on her own. Convinced he was the love of her life. Certain that now he was old enough, settled enough, he would finally choose her.

Instead, she found him in love with someone else.

He refused her.

What Marissa did in the two years after that is unclear. But somehow she re-entered his life as his secretary.

And the rest of what happened I already knew.

Chapter 44: The Body Remembers

In my final year of college, Apple was expelled from Juilliard.

Anonymous tips reached the administration. Apple had drugged another student before a major competition. The girl became violently ill and never made it onstage. She had been Apple’s biggest rival.

The administration searched her dorm room.

They found what they needed and Apple was removed from the program.

Publicly, Apple told a different story.

On social media, she announced that she had chosen to leave on her own. That she wanted to “focus on building her brand.” That the conservatory environment had become too restrictive for her creativity. By then, she had already crossed a million followers across platforms.

She pivoted fast.

Violin covers of popular songs. Carefully edited reels. Lifestyle content. Get ready with me videos. Workout routines. What I eat in a day. Curated vulnerability. Curated perfection.

Marissa appeared frequently beside her.

Mother-daughter dances to trending audio. Matching outfits. Smiling into the camera like they were best friends. Those clips performed exceptionally well.

The comments flooded in.

“Your mom looks like your sister.”

“You two look like twins.”

“I love your relationship so much.”

Brands followed. Sponsorships. Paid partnerships. Growth.

From the outside, Apple looked untouchable. Like she didn't have all those skeletons in the closet.

Then came the haul videos.

Designer handbags laid out on pristine white bedsheets. Luxury shoes arranged in a perfect row. Sunglasses, jewelry, watches. She spoke about them casually, like these were normal purchases anyone could make with enough motivation.

“This one’s an investment piece.”

“I worked really hard for this.”

“You don’t need a lot, just the right things.”