Serenity's POV
The air feels thicker now, charged with tension I can almost taste. Celestine’s glare slices through the hall, sharp and deliberate, and I feel it pierce me as if it’s trying to map every hidden thought in my mind. Her hand tightens around the piano’s edge beside her, the same hand that hours ago was caressing keys with precision and calm. That calm is gone. All that remains is fire and control, her eyes daring me to step closer, to challenge her. I do not hesitate.
“I need the truth,” I say, my voice measured but firm, carrying clearly over the murmurs of the audience. Cameras tilt toward us, lenses adjusting. I ignore them. I ignore everything except her.
“Truth?” she repeats, voice dripping with a sweetness I know is venomous. “You think I have to tell you anything, li
