Victor
The screen goes black, and all I can do is stare at it. For half a heartbeat, the hall is silent, so silent I can hear my own pulse pounding in my ears. This is bad. This is really bad. Lilith has been telling us for years that there was something going on between Serene and Casper. I didn't want to believe her. I thought she was just being insecure, but now, there is no denying it. The proof was there for everyone to see.
I turn my attention back to the crowd, trying to decide how to fix this situation. Then the whispers start, sharp and fast, cutting through the room like knives.
I feel it immediately. The collapse.
Not just of this night, but of everything I've spent years holding together with careful words and controlled appearances. Faces turn. Eyes judge. Elders
