The days blurred. Living with Nicky no longer felt the same. Eliana tried to bridge the silence with small jokes over coffee, brushing his shoulder when she passed, lingering longer in the mornings but he always seemed distracted, always elsewhere.
He came home drunk some nights, cold on others. It was like she was sharing space with a ghost of what they had been.
She smiled through it. Pretended through it. But the truth was sinking in: she felt as if it was no longer theirs.
Luca burst into the office mid-morning, arms full of sketches, eyes sparkling with chaos.
"Darling El, crisis! Vision! Summer jeweled collection, dripping in gold and aquamarines. But tragedy!" He leaned on her table in exaggeration. "I've been pulled into a meeting with investors. Monsters, all of them. So you, angel baby, must meet the jewelers in my place."
Eliana blinked. "Me?"
"Yes, you. Who else would I trust? You'll take my vision, make it gospel."
