The night had settled over Crescent High like a velvet curtain when the social event finally wound down. The Darnell Estate glittered behind me as I stepped onto the terrace for a moment of air, my heels clicking softly against the polished stone. The crowd was still inside, laughter spilling through the open doors, but out here, away from the cameras and the gossip, I could breathe—at least for a moment.
I wrapped my coat around my shoulders and let my gaze drift over the gardens, the fountains catching the soft glow of lanterns, the air cool against my flushed skin. The notebook Luca had given me lay in my clutch, folded safely between pages filled with strategies, private thoughts, and now, a growing collection of feelings I didn’t entirely understand.
A shadow fell across the terrace
