The clock ticked towards ten in Chloe’s cozy apartment. Elara had just slid her feet into worn, comfortable slippers when Chloe burst from her bedroom, eyes wide with anticipation.
"Elly! How did it go?" Chloe breathed, grabbing her friend's arm. "Tell me everything—what did Julian say?"
"Chloe..." Elara met her friend’s searching gaze, the name catching like a knot in her tightening throat. She looked away, focusing on a loose thread on the couch. "It's... it's over. There’s no future for us. Not anymore."
Chloe’s frown deepened, a protective anger flickering beneath the worry. "He broke up with you?" The image of Julian Thorne flashed in her mind—the effortless, glacial charm that never quite reached his eyes, the way his expensive watch gleamed like armour as he’d barely acknowledged
