The music thumped steadily through the speakers as Lyla’s birthday party came to full life. Laughter floated through the air like perfume, clinking glasses echoed from every corner, and guests mingled with careless delight under the opulent chandeliers of the De Luca mansion.
Aria stood near the bar, her glass of wine still in hand. She’d finished it without a second thought, the sweetness covering the bitter edge of the substance that had been quietly added moments before.
She blinked once, then again. The room seemed to shift.
The lights blurred.
The music slowed and then spun too fast.
She pressed her fingers to her temple and tried to steady her breath, but everything around her began to swim.
“Are you alright, Mrs. De Luca?” a maid whispered, noticing her expression.
“I’m... fi
