Zoey’s Pov
The ballroom glittered with perfection, crystal chandeliers spilled warm gold light across polished marble floors while cameras flashed endlessly near the stage. Expensive perfume mixed with champagne and soft violin music, creating the kind of elegant atmosphere people used to envy me for being part of.
Tonight, it only made me tired as I stood beside Christian near the center of the ballroom while reporters shouted questions from behind velvet barriers. My smile was practiced now, like something I wore like armor whenever cameras appeared.
The last few weeks had changed me in ways I still didn’t fully understand, I noticed too much now, every stare, every whisper, every hidden tension beneath polite conversation.
Christian’s hand rested lightly against the small of my back
