Kaelen
As I drove toward Bastian’s office, the quiet hum of the car engine did little to drown out the storm brewing inside me. My thoughts were a whirlwind, circling around Kaida, the chaos at the courthouse, and Alara’s betrayal. How had my life spiraled into such a mess? The deeper I got into all of this, the more I realized how much I had lost control. I couldn’t let this go on any longer.
I reached for my phone, dialing Alara. The ring felt like an eternity, and when she finally picked up, her voice came through the line, light and curious, as if nothing had happened.
“Hey, how did everything go?” she asked, her tone filled with an artificial sweetness that made my stomach turn.
I wasn’t in the mood for pleasantries, not after everything I had learned. I could feel my blood boilin
