Third POV
Julian froze. His hand was still wrapped tight around Reina’s arm when a familiar voice cut through the smoke.
“Julian!”
Ariana.
She stumbled toward him, her dress ripped at the side, her hair tangled, her eyes red from smoke. For a moment, relief flooded her face when she saw him alive. But then her gaze dropped to his hand, the way it gripped Reina as if he would not let go.
Her relief twisted into something sharp.
“What is she doing here?” Ariana’s voice cracked, high and raw, filled with fury and hurt.
The world seemed to stop. The shouting guards, the fire, the screams,all of it faded into silence for Julian. Only Ariana’s trembling voice and Reina’s pale face remained in his focus.
He released Reina slowly. His fingers slipped from her arm with hesitation, guilt bur
