章 247: Winter theme shoot

The morning light filtered through the tall windows of the modeling school, casting long shadows across the polished wooden floors. I sat in my usual spot near the back of the classroom, my eyes fixed on the teacher at the front of the room, but my mind was far from the lesson.

Thoughts of Carmen lingered in my head the way she'd kissed me goodbye, the look in her eyes as she drove away. It had only been a day since she left, but already, the emptiness she left behind was palpable.

I tried to focus on the lecture, but it was no use. The teacher's voice droned on, a monotonous background noise that I barely registered. Instead, I found myself doodling in the margins of my notebook, drawing little hearts and stars without really thinking about it. 

"Elena?" The teacher's voice cut through my daydreams, sharp and pointed.