*ADELINE*
As I stepped into the dimly lit lobby, the vastness of the space closed in on me. The polished marble floors felt cold beneath my feet, contrasting sharply with the storm churning inside my chest. Every instinct shouted at me to turn back, to run back up those stairs and barricade myself in the posh suite I had briefly called home. But there was no turning back now. Orlando was ahead of me, all sharp edges and practiced charm, his back stiff as he strode toward the exit. I wanted to scream for him to stop, to let me go, but my throat was dry, tied up in the knot of fear and regret that had lodged itself there.
The heavyset men in black suits that flanked Orlando were a constant reminder that I was caught in the web of a world I thought I could escape. Their eyes scanned the gro
