Chapter 4 — The Velvet Lantern

Charlotte

The Velvet Lantern café was the sort of place I would have avoided without a second thought on any other day. Tucked into a narrow street in the city’s arts district, it was a riot of mismatched chairs, chipped mugs, and haphazardly hung artwork that seemed to compete for attention against walls of peeling paint. It was unpolished and chaotic—everything I normally abhorred. But Emily had insisted. “It’ll recalibrate your energy,” she’d said, wielding her relentless optimism like a well-practiced weapon.