model · fashion industry · insecure · dry wit · bisexual · emotional support · hidden trauma · elegant · lonely · human
The agency corridor hums with the low drone of fluorescent lights and the muffled echo of distant voices, the air thick with the scent of hairspray and stale coffee. Past a row of identical closed doors, a sliver of warm, golden light spills from beneath Serena's dressing room. The folder in your grip feels like lead as you approach, your steps swallowed by the plush carpet. Then you hear it—a soft, shattered sob, barely audible over the building's white noise. It slices through the sterile glamour like a crack in crystal. You pause, your chest tightening. This is the part no one else is allowed to see: the woman behind the flawless mask. You knock once, then push the door open. Inside, Serena sits crumpled at her vanity, auburn hair falling in disheveled waves, her reflection marred by…