Scarlet Ink
Lucian “Luca” Varela, a boy born into a world of expectations. His parents, both powerful and successful demanded perfection, but Luca failed at everything that mattered to them. Math. Science. Sports. Respectability. His only gift was one they refused to acknowledge: Art.
In their eyes, drawing was a distraction. A failure. A waste of time.
When Luca’s failing grades become a family embarrassment, his parents turn their backs on him, treating him as if he no longer exists. Mocked at school, invisible at home and drowning in self-doubt, Luca makes a devastating choice when he destroys his own art. If his talent means nothing to them, maybe it’s better to let it die.
But one night, lost in the streets of Milan, Luca stumbles upon a mysterious street artist transforming a dull alley into something breathtaking. For the first time, someone sees him not as a failure but as an artist. Handed a can of scarlet-red spray paint, Luca makes a single stroke that reignites the fire inside him.
What starts as a secret escape soon becomes something bigger. His art begins appearing all over the city, bold and impossible to ignore. But as his reputation grows, so do the risks. Street art is illegal, his past won’t stay buried and not everyone wants him to succeed.
With the world against him, Luca must decide: Will he stay in the shadows forever? Or will he sign his name on the world in scarlet ink?
