The microphone left Selena’s hand, but the echo of her words lingered like smoke. The ballroom was a cage now, humming with whispers, the air so charged it could spark a fire.
She didn’t walk out. Hindi siya tumayo para lumayo. Instead, Selena returned to her seat beside Sandro, chin high, her smile poised like a blade. Every eye followed her, every flash of camera immortalizing the image of her calm defiance.
Damien descended from the stage, applause still ringing. But the set of his jaw, the flicker in his eyes—lahat iyon nagbunyag ng sugat na ayaw niyang ipakita. He took his seat at the opposite table, directly across from her. Para bang sinadya ng tadhana—or ng kanilang mga kaaway—to place them where they could not escape each other.
“Dios mio,” a socialite whispered behind a fan. “
