Lucian POV
The moment I stepped into Eloise’s atelier, a strange chill coiled around my spine. Not from the air conditioning, but from something else. The scent of jasmine and soft leather hit me the moment I crossed the threshold, and I stood there for a moment, absorbing it. The place felt like her. Clean lines, warm lighting, vases of dried lavender perched on mahogany shelves. It had grown, matured, just like she had.
“Good afternoon, sir,” a young woman said politely from behind the front desk. She was new, probably hadn’t worked here when Eloise and I were… whatever we were.
I nodded stiffly. “Is Eloise in?”
The girl checked her tablet. “She said she’d be in today, but I’m not sure what time. Would you like to wait?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
She motioned toward the sitting area to the
