By the time we arrived, the banquet hall was already buzzing with energy—laughter, champagne, and the hum of gossip bouncing off crystal chandeliers and polished marble floors.
I stepped in wearing the ivory embroidered gown. Simple. Classic. Safe.
Almost instantly, I felt it—eyes tracking my entrance. Some lingered too long, some looked away too quickly. Admiration, curiosity, judgment; it all swirled in the air around me. But I didn’t flinch. Years of being married to Darius had taught me to walk through a room like I belonged, even when I didn’t feel it.
The host, Leo—a long-time friend of Joe’s—smiled and started to greet us. But before he could say a word, a voice shouted from the entrance.
The entire room shifted.
Something was coming.
No—someone.
Whispers rippled across
