The house stayed awake even when Violetta couldn’t.Paper covered the dining table, spilled onto the floor, and was stacked on the couch. Half-drawn silhouettes, fabric swatches, color palettes taped together with trembling fingers. She had been working for hours—erasing, redrawing, starting over—her mind racing faster than her body could keep up with.“You have to win this challenge, Vee. You have to show them what you are capable of,” She said to herself and put the empty cup of coffee on the table, but still a lot of work was left. By midnight, her eyes burned.By one, her hands shook.She told herself just one more sketch, but exhaustion won.Her head tipped forward slowly, cheek resting against a spread of papers, pencil slipping from her fingers as sleep claimed her without mercy.The room was quiet when Draven stepped in. He paused the moment he saw her.Mask still on, he stood there longer than he meant to—watching her breathe softly, lashes resting against flushed skin, hai
Last Updated : 2025-12-20 Read more