I stood with a group of guests, nodding politely as one of them regaled the others with a story. But my attention was elsewhere. My eyes kept drifting toward Anna, standing near the bar with Emily.
The soft lighting of the party seemed to catch her perfectly, highlighting the elegant lines of her black dress. It clung to her figure in a way that made it impossible to look away. The way she laughed at something Emily said sent a tightness through my chest. She was mesmerizing, effortlessly stealing my focus even from across the room.
Movement in the far corner of the room caught my attention. A group of teenagers loitered near the back entrance, their furtive glances, and whispered exchanges, making my instincts prickle. Something about the way they kept looking over their shoulders set m
