Serena’s POV
The morning flew by in a whirlwind of designs, fabric swatches, and business decisions. By lunchtime, I felt completely immersed in work again, the creative energy revitalizing me in a way nothing else could.
My phone buzzed with a text from Ryan: "How's your first day back? Vivian misses you. So do I."
A smile spread across my face as I typed back: "Busy in the best way. Miss you both too. See you tonight."
I attached a selfie of me surrounded by sketches, my hair slightly disheveled from running my hands through it while concentrating—a habit Ryan always teased me about.
His response came quickly: "Beautiful. Even with pencil smudge on your cheek."
I touched my face, finding the graphite mark he'd noticed. The fact that he found even my messy work mode en
