Emma’s POV
The moment I stepped out of the private lounge, my head felt like it was spinning, the weight of Sam’s words pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe.
He wanted another chance.
A chance to be the father he had never been, the partner he should have been. His voice had trembled with regret, his eyes had pleaded for understanding, for forgiveness.
And for the first time since he’d returned, I saw something in him that had been missing before, desperation.
I swallowed hard, stepping back into the main ballroom. The dazzling chandeliers, the laughter, the clinking of champagne glasses, it all felt distant, muffled, as if I was watching everything through a thick fog.
My eyes darted across the room, scanning the sea of unfamiliar faces, until they landed on one that
