Anna
I gulped down another mouthful of water, but it did nothing to ease the dryness clawing at my throat. The crystal glass trembled slightly in my hand, betraying the storm inside me. Around us, the party carried on as though the world had not just shifted beneath my feet. Laughter echoed through the grand hall, soft jazz floated in the air, and expensive perfume mixed with the scent of champagne and polished wood. Men in tailored tuxedos discussed business near the bar while women dressed in glittering gowns moved gracefully across the marble floor.
Everything looked perfect.
Yet all I could hear was the violent pounding of my own heartbeat.
It felt as if I were standing in the middle of an ocean moments before a storm broke apart the sky. Everyone else remained blissfully unaware w
