Katrina pov
The moment she stepped through the heavy oak door into the dining room, the air vanished from my lungs. My chest locked up, tight and frozen, as a cold, paralyzing dread flooded my veins. It was a physical sensation, like icy water replacing the blood in my system, turning my limbs heavy and useless.
*Why is she here? Oh God, why is she here?*
My heart began to hammer against my ribs like a trapped bird, each thud echoing so loudly in my ears that I was certain everyone at the table could hear it. A chaotic, suffocating swarm of questions spiraled through my brain, blurring my vision until the elegant dining room felt like a distorted hall of mirrors. Did she come here to destroy me? Did she come to strip away the fragile, beautiful life I had meticulously built piece by pi
