Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 41 - Chapitre 50

The studio felt strangely quiet after everything that had happened. Jamie had finally fallen asleep on the couch in the lounge, curled up under a thin blanket, his face still stained with dried tears. His tiny hands were clenched into fists even as he slept. Daniel sat nearby, staring at the floor, his thoughts scattered like broken glass.Lena entered the room holding a warm drink and placed it gently on the table. She moved slowly, carefully, as if unsure what to say or how to act. The tension between them was thick, hanging in the air like smoke.Daniel finally broke the silence. His voice was quiet, but firm. “Lena… we need to talk.”She froze for a second, then turned to face him, trying to look calm. “Okay. About what?”“About Jamie,” he said, lifting his eyes to hers. “He’s been… different lately. Quieter. He’s been pulling away.”Lena gave a small, tired smile. “He’s just tired, Daniel. He’s a child.”“No.” Daniel shook his head slowly. “It’s more than that. He’s not just tire

Jamie sat on the edge of the rug, silently rolling a small toy car back and forth across the floor. He didn’t make any sound. His eyes were fixed on the toy, but his mind was far away. The light from the window touched his face, showing tear stains on his cheeks from the night before.Daniel stood nearby, watching him. It had been days since Jamie found out the truth. Since then, he barely smiled or spoke. He didn’t call out for Maya anymore, but Daniel could see it in his eyes—he missed her.Daniel’s heart ached seeing his son like that. Jamie was only four, but he had heard and seen too much. Daniel walked over and knelt down beside the couch.“Hey, buddy,” he said gently.Jamie didn’t answer.Daniel placed a hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “I was thinking… maybe we could go out today. Just the two of us. We could go to the park, get some ice cream, maybe watch a cartoon movie. What do you think?”Jamie looked up slowly, his lips pressed together. “Will mommy come too?” he asked in a qui

Maya was walking along the quiet street, her heels clicking softly against the pavement. The air felt cool, brushing gently against her face like a calming whisper. Though her steps were steady, her heart was still processing everything. Letting go of the studio, the memories, and the pain—it wasn’t easy. But she had done it.Elias walked beside her in silence, just a step behind. He didn’t say anything, but his presence was calming. He wasn’t rushing her or offering shallow comfort. He simply stayed close, like a shield against the world.Maya finally spoke, her voice soft but clear. “I thought I’d feel broken walking away from it all… But instead, I feel free.”Elias nodded quietly. “Because you’ve carried too much for too long. Letting go of what weighs you down isn’t weakness—it’s strength.”Maya turned slightly to glance at him. His words weren’t dramatic or poetic, but they reached her heart. She gave him a faint smile, tired but sincere.“I just don’t want to be angry anymore,”

The clock ticked softly on the wall as Maya sat at the small table in her living room, her sketchpad open in front of her. A warm cup of tea sat untouched beside her hand, growing colder by the minute. The silence in the apartment was thick—comforting, yet heavy, like the air after a storm.Her pencil moved slowly across the page, tracing the beginning of a new design. She paused now and then, staring at nothing, her mind replaying the events of her first day at Verano.It hadn’t gone the way she expected.From the moment she walked into the studio that morning, she could feel it—the stares, the whispered comments behind her back. Some eyes were curious, others suspicious. They all knew she had been brought in by Elias. That alone was enough to make them judge her.“She’s probably just another pretty face,” she had overheard one assistant murmur in the hallway.“Elias’s special guest. Must be nice to skip the usual hiring process,” someone else added.Maya had pretended not to hear. S

Maya sat alone at her small desk, the glow from her lamp casting a soft light across her sketchbook. The house was quiet, the kind of quiet that let her think clearly. Outside, the wind rustled the trees gently, but inside her mind, the storm from earlier at Verano still lingered.She flipped back to the first page of her notebook and looked at the rough sketches she had made over the past few days—none of them felt right yet. She tapped her pencil against the page and closed her eyes, remembering every word the director had said.His voice had been sharp, almost cold. “I don’t care what method you used to get Elias to bring you in. This studio doesn’t welcome people without real ability. If you want to stay, you’d better learn your place and stick to simple tasks.”Those words had cut deep. Maya had stood there, holding back her anger, but her hands had curled into fists behind her back.“I’m not here because of a favor,” she had said firmly. “I’m a designer, and I want to work on re