The cool night air on the balcony carried the scent of rain-damp stone and blooming jasmine, wrapping around Aria Hartfield like an invisible embrace. Beyond the ornate balustrade, the garden stretched out, bathed in the moon’s silver glow, its fountains and roses softened by a light mist. The distant sounds of the orchestra inside the ballroom were muffled now, fading as if from another world—one that Aria had just left behind.
She stood there for a while, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, not from the chill, but from the rush of emotions swirling inside her. The evening had unfolded like a storm, full of eyes on her, old rivals whispering, new admirers watching, and then that dance with Xander—the waltz that had spoken volumes in its silence, each step heavy with history and unsp
