STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

Chapter 8

Morning light filtered through the half-drawn blinds of Lyra’s cluttered studio apartment—a stark contrast to the pristine, minimalist world outside. Dust particles swirled lazily in the beams of sunlight, settling over scattered sketches, half-finished canvases, and crumpled fabric. Starburst symbols, drawn in charcoal, peeked from the edges of paper stacks, like whispers of something she wasn’t ready to say out loud.

Lying on her side, hair spilling over the pillow, she stared at the wall. The gallery's polite applause still echoed in her ears, the carefully measured approval of curators and patrons who had smiled with the precision AstroSYS demanded. She had played her part well. It was an act she knew by heart.

But now, in the quiet, the performance felt distant.

The air inside was thick with the scent of stale cigarette smoke, clinging to her skin like an unwelcome memory.

Lucien's face drifted uninvited into her thoughts —the way he stood too still, the way his eyes lingered on the painting as if he could see what no one else could. She clenched the sheet beneath her fingers and exhaled, willing the image away.

Her wrist device vibrated, shattering the moment. Lyra reached for it, thumb swiping through the usual messages: a thank-you note from the gallery director, a polite reminder of an upcoming panel, and a request for an interview with a state-run media outlet. All the usual bullshit. She let the device drop onto the mattress beside her.

Approved artist. ‘Celebrated creative.’ A hollow laugh escaped her lips. The

59