The afternoon sun poured like a golden mantle over the faculty grounds, painting everything with a deceptive warmth. The light breeze caressed the leaves of the trees, and the bustle of students seemed distant, as if the entire world had stopped to frame Eliza in that moment. She was there, under a tree, with a book in her hands, completely unaware of the storm she was unleashing within me.
Her golden hair fell in soft cascades over her shoulders, shining as if the sun itself had fallen in love with her. Her eyes, focused on the yellowed pages, seemed to contain secrets I desperately wanted to know. Each of her small gestures, from the movement of her fingers as she turned the pages to the way she bit her lower lip when something intrigued her, had me captivated. It was as if every fiber of my being was tied to her, as if the universe had conspired to chain me to her existence.
But then he appeared. Damian.
