Chapter 44

• VALENTINA
• ~•~
• The music was soft, but the tension in the air felt louder than anything. People laughed too politely. Their eyes never really matched their smiles. It was all masks and wine and fake warmth wrapped in too much perfume. I stood beside Gustavo as the guests kept coming—old men with silver rings and younger ones who looked like they were born in suits and although the room smelled expensive, to me it also reeked of lies.