Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Old Names, New Doors

ELORA'S POV

"Lucian?"

His name felt strange on my lips-familiar, but has a little weight to it. For a moment I believed I'd dreamed of this call. Maybe I'd longed to hear from him that I conjured it up in my head. But no. He was there, reaching out to me, and I could feel the weight in his silence. I could feel the distance in the very air that moved around us.

"Elora," he finally said, his voice a bit tense. Not cold, no, but not relaxed either. As if he were attempting not to feel.

I leaned back in my chair, my heart pounding against my chest. "What do you want, Lucian?

There was a pause.

Then he said, "It's about Nora."

And just like that, everything stopped. Fear spiked through my veins.

I swallowed hard. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine. She just..she misses you."

That hurt more than I thought. My fingers gripped the edge of the desk. I hadn't cried in years. I wouldn't start now. Not with him on the line. Not with the man who made me feel invisible.

"She asked me to call you." He continued.

I nodded to myself, not daring to speak. My throat burned with words I couldn't say. I knew if I opened my mouth, the tears would come.

"You don't have to say anything," he whispered. "I just thought you should know. And maybe, talk to her. She needs you right now."

"Thanks.for the call," I managed after what felt like an eternity of silence.

"Elora, I." he continued.

"Yes?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

I heard him exhale. Then the line went dead.

No goodbye. Just the silence again.

I stared at the empty black screen of my phone. My throat burned like I'd gulped down the strongest liquor. I hadn't even realized I was holding my breath until Selene appeared, offering me a glass of wine.

She stood in the doorway. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but was that."

I nodded.

She came over and handed me a glass of water. No questions asked. Just quiet support. She sat beside me, steady as always.

"I think she really misses me," I whispered. "And I think I miss her more than I ever admitted."

Selene rested her head on my shoulder.

"Then go see her, El."

I didn't answer. I couldn't. Not yet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The early morning sun casted that golden shade of orange. But it was still bright enough to go out there for a stroll and maybe have some nice coffee.

I figured I needed to breathe. I couldn't stay cooped up in my apartment thinking about that call, so I did something I hadn't done in years.

I went back to the Academy-the biggest fashion school in Manhattan. My first love. My once-upon-a-dream.

As I arrived and stepped into the building, it felt like walking through old memories. The same marble floors. The same trees lining the entrance now seem..taller. The art building still stood-smelling faintly of paint, rust, and dreams that never quite left.

And then I saw him.

Lucas---A shareholder at Preston's Academy and one of Oliver's final students alongside me, a loyal and a very supportive friend of mine. He's also a member of the Queenwood's pack here in Manhattan. A pack known for education, reform and integration in human society.

"Lucas?" I called.

He turned, grinning from ear to ear like we were still in the Academy. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the world's best herself?"

I couldn't help but smile. "You've aged."

"And you haven't." he teased. "Come on. There's a café across the street. I've been dying to catch up."

We walked over, and once we sat down with a cup of coffee in hand, all the memories came flooding back-late nights in the studio, stolen lunch breaks, wild ideas, and dreams we used to chase with fire in our eyes.

"I heard what happened," he said gently, after a moment. "About your marriage. The pack."

I sipped my coffee and gave a short nod. "It wasn't what I expected. Or what I wanted."

"You were the best of us, Elora," Lucas said.

"I still have some of your pieces in my office. Do you know how many designers at Queens ask about it? How much clients will pay just to have that piece? But I just can't. They're the last pieces of your design that I have left."

I blinked. "You're with Queen's fashion now?"

"Not just with them. I built it. It's mine. And I need you."

I laughed. "You want to hire a washed up designer and a forgotten Luna with a ten-year gap in her portfolio?"

"I want Elora Parker. The woman who creates designs from imaginations and dreams. The woman who sketched designs with her eyes closed. The woman you were before you got married. I want her back to work."

I stared at him for a long second. "I'm not that girl anymore."

"Then be whoever you're now. Just ..come back to work."

His voice cracked a little when he said it. I could tell it wasn't just about the company. It was about belief. About trust. About giving me a chance to reclaim what I'd lost."

"I'II think about it." I said.

Lucas grinned, his eyes lit up like he'd just won a prize. "That's all I ask, Elora."

Before we parted, he mentioned they were interviewing another designer today. "You two would hit off. She's brilliant. Young. I think her name was.damn, I forgot. I will send you her details later."

"I never said I'd do it yet, Lucas." I replied, rolling my eyes at him.

"I like to hope you will, El."

I smiled with the hope of getting back to a life I once cherished more than anything. My dream of becoming a famous designer and owning my academy vanished into thin air the night I discovered I was pregnant with Nora.

But was I ready to overwhelm myself and dive into that world again after all that happened?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As I left the café and walked back towards the Academy gates, another familiar face appeared.

"Elora?"

I stiffened.

Mira.

Lucian's older sister. Rude, nasty, and always ready to make my life hell.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, her voice coated in venom. "You haven't been invited to these events in years."

I kept my voice even. "Just visiting an old friend."

She scoffed, giving a fake smile out of the corner of her lips. "I suppose even discarded Lunas crave attention sometimes."

I turned to leave, but she stepped closer. "George's birthday is next week. You should bake him something and bring him a present."

I stopped cold. Then slowly turned to face her "I'm not doing shit for you."

Her eyes narrowed. "Still proud, even after being cast aside."

I glanced at the other people around. Many of them were watching. Mira wouldn't dare mention the divorce here even if she knew. Lucian's image had to be preserved.

"I'm not that girl you used to push around," I whispered. "And you better get used to having things done yourself, seeing that I won't be your brother's wife for long."

Her lips parted slightly.

"Yeah," I said with a tilt of my head. "I filed for a divorce. Signed. Sealed. Delivered."

And with that, I walked away, my hips swaying with every step I took.

~~~~~~~~~~~

That night I opened my laptop and scrolled through old files-my designs from my days in Preston's Academy.

The last one was dated ten years ago.

But maybe, just maybe. It was time.

Time to update it.

Time to live for myself again.

Time to return to the world that once loved me for my work.

As I typed a text to Lucas, my other phone buzzed on the desk beside me.

A new message from Lucas.

Lucas: Here's the info on the designer you'd be working with. Trust me you'll love her.

I opened the file to see there was a photo.

No.

It couldn't be.

Then I zoomed in for a better look.

"Maya?"