Victoria had spent the entire week immersed in her artwork, finding solace in the strokes of her paintbrush and the quiet hum of her thoughts. Every inch of her studio felt like a sanctuary, a space where no one could reach her. No one except Zander.

It had been a while since their conversation at the bar, and though she had tried to keep her distance, there was no denying the fact that Zander lingered in her thoughts more than she cared to admit. It wasn’t just the comfort he offered, or the way his presence seemed to fill the gaps in her life—there was something more, something deeper, that...