AIDEN’S POV
The moment I stepped into the grand ballroom, the air shifted. It wasn’t just the hum of conversation or the clink of glasses—it was something else, something that clung to my skin and made my chest tighten.
The room felt alive, restless, as if it were waiting for something to break. My eyes scanned the crowd, the glittering chandeliers casting shards of light over the sea of faces. And then I saw her.
Elena.
She stood there, radiant, her gown catching the light in a way that made her glow. She was laughing, her head tilted slightly, her hand brushing against the arm of the man beside her. London.
My stomach twisted. They looked… perfect. Effortless. The way she leaned into him, the way her laughter seemed to come so easily—it was a knife to my chest. I hated it.
