Valeria's POV
Late at night, Rool River Town welcomed its first snowfall. Fine flakes drifted down like powdered dust, scattering in the streetlight’s glow quietly.
I stayed silent the rest of the night. After hearing that girl journalist’s mocking words, I left the event, slipping into the car even before Eric.
Sitting in the back seat, I gazed out the window, trying desperately to forget the sting of her words, though they echoed in my mind.
For a long time, the quiet hum of the car was the only sound, but even that couldn’t drown out the bitterness welling inside me. That girl's words were harsh, each one like a shard of glass cutting deeper than the last. I’d heard worse before, of course. But tonight, for some reason, they felt sharper, harder to shake.
Eric’s beta, Henry, was d
