Naime could not name what she was feeling.
It was not anger, not exactly. Not grief either. It was something tighter, something that wrapped around her heart and pulled until breathing felt like work. Across the room, Drake stood beside Zhinkee. Their hands were intertwined, their shoulders brushing, their laughter easy and unguarded. They looked as if they had always belonged side by side.
The applause swelled around her.
Naime forced her palms together and joined in, the sound sharp against her ears. She curved her lips into a smile wide enough to pass as genuine. She would not let anyone see her falter. Least of all him.
When Drake’s gaze found hers across the sea of guests, time slowed into something fragile and thin. His eyes held hers for a second too long. Her pulse leaped wildl
