Chapter 28 Just Reminding You All Who I've Always Been

• The relentless pulse of the studio lights flashed, stark and clinical, against Zara’s skin. Each click of the camera was a deliberate beat in a silent act of reclamation. Her makeup, artfully applied by a professional who understood the language of light and shadow, was flawless, enhancing her natural beauty without masking it. The outfit, a carefully curated blend of understated power and timeless elegance, draped perfectly like a second skin. And her expression?. It was the look Leo had meticulously envisioned for her.
• When she finally stepped back into the sanctuary of her apartment, the silence after the studio’s controlled chaos felt immense. She held her phone, her image staring back at her. Her thumb hovered over the ‘upload’ button, a brief tremor of apprehension running through her. But then, Leo’s words from the café echoed in her mind, a steadying presence: "It’s not about them anymore, Zara. It’s about you." She typed the exact caption he had written on that tiny, crumpled note.
• "Just reminding you who I’ve always been."