Chapter 69

• Celeste’s POV
• I felt it—a low, gnawing sense of unease crawling up my spine. Something instinctively warned me that staying another moment in the Frost Family hall would only drag me deeper into their twisted web of control. I had already made my decision: I was leaving. The more Serena tried to coax me to stay, the firmer my resolve became.
• “I’m leaving,” I said, my voice sharp, each word landing like a clawed strike. “I’m going to pack my things and get out of the Frost Family.”