But… she didn’t.
She didn’t look up.
Her gaze never even skimmed the balcony.
And I wasn’t who she was looking for in the crowd. I knew that.
My jaw clenched. My fingers stayed locked around my wrist like a cuff.
Of course she wasn’t looking for me. Why would she?
I gave her no reason to.
“Callum!” Bianca’s voice sliced through the air, rising above the music and soft conversation below. “Where did you go?!”
And just like that, the spell broke.
The tension in my shoulders returned. The weight. The roles.
Who was I kidding?
Liora was done with me. Done with the silence, the empty glances, the almosts. And she deserved to be. She deserved to be happy.
I stepped back from the railing.
I slowly descended the stairs.
“There you are,” Bianca beamed, already reaching for my arm.
