25_The first thread

Eloise

The fabric samples were spread across my dining table, chaotic but beautiful. Layers of chiffon, velvet, silk blends with textured patterns, each one holding a story I hadn’t told yet. I ran my fingers across a swatch dyed deep plum, the color of healing bruises. It reminded me of how I’d felt the day Jennifer’s first stolen collection debuted, wounded but still surviving.

This wasn’t jewelry. Not entirely.

I had taken a risk and followed a different thread, ...