Violet
For a moment, I thought my eyes were lying to me.
I blinked quite a few times but the figures in front of me did not change.
They did not blur or dissolve or turn into something reasonable. They remained exactly where they were, standing beneath the golden spill of chandelier light as if they had every right to exist here.
It felt as though the world had quietly lost its color, as if someone had turned a dial and drained everything vibrant and warm from the room, leaving behind a washed-out version that looked the same but felt wrong.
Nicole did a small twirl when Lady Aurelia complimented her dress and just everything about her. And she smiled just the way it always was when she wanted to be admired.
Nate was beside her, close enough that their shoulders brushed, his hand h
