In a forced union with a wealthy stranger, a young artist fades into silence, her dreams boxed away in a cold new home. She moves like a shadow, sketching hidden pains, while he mistakes her numbness for nerves—until cracks reveal the cage they both share.

Anya Sokolov:

23, slender with jet-black hair in a messy bun, deep brown eyes shadowed by exhaustion, pale olive skin dulled by stress. Dresses in baggy sweaters to vanish, posture slumped under unseen weight— a hollow gaze hiding buried fire.