Elara woke to the faint ringing of her phone. The morning sun was pale, weak, yet she felt no warmth from it. She pulled herself from the bed, her body stiff from tension, her mind still tangled in the events of the night before. Every movement felt heavy, weighed down by the knowledge that nothing would ever be the same.
Her phone buzzed again. This time it was multiple messages, notifications, and missed calls. The screen was a chaos of names and texts she did not want to read. She swiped through them slowly.
"Elara, everyone is talking. Are you insane?"
"You ruined everything, and now… what about the Cross family? And Dante? This is unbelievable."
"Have you seen social media? People are calling you bold, reckless, scandalous. Are you even aware?"
Elara pressed her hand to her chest
