Chapter 36

• Dahlia felt a heaviness in her head that dulled her senses. Just as she was trying to collect herself, she noticed her father staring at her from across the room, his gaze piercing through the crowd. He had spotted her, and now he was watching her interaction with Mrs. Kate Elli.
• "I'm sorry, but I have to go," she stammered, hastily making her way past Kate and exiting the manor, determined to leave for good.
• As she stepped outside, all the bright lights of the ballroom faded away, and it took a moment for Dahlia to adjust to the enveloping darkness that awaited her. She carefully descended the stairs, feeling as if this was it—she was finished. Her father knew something was amiss, or he would soon find out. Either way, the night ahead promised to turn ugly, but it was her mother who would bear the brunt of it, even though she was not present.