WHEN THE SPOTLIGHT FADES

Riva was made for the stage-she just never realized it. Every smile, every achievement, every perfectly spoken "yes ma" had been a performance. And as long as people clapped, as long as they called her brilliant, good, responsible, she kept the act going. Because who was she without the applause?

But now, the crowd has gone quiet. Excellence is expected. Her effort is invisible. The praise that once fueled her has dried up, leaving behind exhaustion she can't shake and a question she can't answer-why bother?

The school play was supposed to be a distraction. Instead, it's another role she's trapped in. And Bascko is the worst part of it. He doesn't treat her like the smart girl, the reliable one, the golden child. No, Bascko watches her like he sees something underneath it all, like he's waiting for her to slip. And with the way he invades her space, plays with her hands like they're his to hold, whispers things between lines that don't belong in the script-Riva is afraid she already has.

She should focus. On school. On home. On surviving the emptiness. But how does she keep pretending when the one person who shouldn't matter is the only one making her feel real?

In a world that only values her shine, Riva must decide who she is when the spotlight fades-and whether she wants to keep playing the role they gave her, or finally step off the stage.