Chapter 75

• Eloise
• The morning sunlight spilled through the linen curtains, casting warm golden stripes across my living room floor. I sat cross-legged on the cool marble tiles, scattered sketches surrounded me. Charcoal pencils rolled across the pages with each shift of my weight as I hunched forward, squinting in focus.
• I traced the line of a tailored bodice, letting my pencil dip into delicate curves, flaring into bell sleeves that draped like wilted flower petals. My thumb smudged the edge to soften its fold, and for a fleeting moment, peace fluttered in my chest. Designing always felt like breathing underwater; terrifying and freeing all at once.