No amount of brilliant chandelier light or orchestral music could hide the suffocating tension settling into the manor’s stone walls. On the surface, everything looked seamless. Guests laughed, wine poured, and polite conversation filled the ballroom. But beneath the forced cheer, a heavy, freezing silence had wedged itself firmly between Elara and Lyra. Their bond, which had always been as natural and effortless as breathing, now strained under the weight of every passing glance, every awkward pause, and every unsaid word. The crack between them had grown too wide to ignore. Lyra was done pretending.
She cornered Elara in a quiet, frost-lit corridor just off the main banquet hall. The air was chilly here, catching the faint light from the high arched windows. Lyra stood tall, her deep em
