June 15, 2026.
Summer arrived fast—hot days, long light, the kind of weather that made everything feel possible.
Life had settled into a careful new rhythm.
Mia came over most weekends. We cooked together, watched movies, talked about everything except the obvious. She hugged us both when she left. Called me “Lil” again.
Damien and I were… us. Open in private. Careful in public.
I’d started staying at his place four nights a week. My parents thought I’d taken a “roommate situation” with an old college friend to save money.
Another lie.
But smaller.
The star necklace never came off.
Work was good—freelance gigs steady, portfolio growing.
Then the email came.
Monday morning.
From Apex Creative—big agency downtown, the one every designer in the region dreamed about.
Subject: Juni
