Month: December 2025

Ava The fellowship endedwith a grand exhibition attended by the movers and shakers of London’s art world. The exhibition took place in Shoreditch, and every fellow had their own section in the pop-up gallery. It was exhilarating, nerve-wracking, and utterly surreal. I stared at my little slice of heaven and the people passing through it,

Ava Alex livedup to his promise-slash-threat of showing up every. Single. Day. He was there in the morning when I left for my fellowship, usually with a vanilla latte and blueberry scone—my favorites. He was there to walk me home after my workshops. Other times, especially when I was with other people or exploring the

Ava I loved London. I loved its energy, the posh accents, and the anticipation that I might sight one of the royals any day. I didn’t, but I could, though I reassured Bridget she’d always be my favorite royal. Most of all, I loved that it was a fresh start. No one knew me here. I

Alex TWO AND A HALF MONTHS LATER “You look like shit.” Ralph sank into the chair opposite mine and appraised me with sharp eyes. “Haven’t ‘cha heard of a skincare routine?” I didn’t look up from the screen. “Carolina!” The door to my office opened, and my assistant poked her head in. “Yes, Mr. Volkov?” “How

Ava TWO MONTHS LATER Bridget convinced Rhys not to tell the palace what happened in Philadelphia. I didn’t know how, because Rhys was such a stickler for the rules—even if telling the truth meant getting himself in trouble, since Bridget had been kidnapped on his watch—but she did. The press also never picked up on

Alex Josh’s fistslammed into my face, and I heard an ominous crack before I stumbled back. Blood dripped from my nose and lip, and judging by the pain radiating from the right side of my face, I was going to wake up with one hell of a shiner tomorrow. Still, I made no move to defend myself

Alex I watched Ava leave,my chest hollow, my eyes burning with a foreign, pent-up emotion. I wanted to run after her and snatch her out of Bridget’s arms. To fall to my knees and beg her forgiveness for the unforgivable. To keep her by my side for the rest of our days so nothing and

Ava The next hourpassed in a blur. The police and paramedics arrived, peppering me with questions and medical checkups and lots of somber-looking faces. I endured them all, my answers flat and robotic. By the time they finished, I wanted to crawl into my bed and never get out—if I could bring myself to move. “Ava?”