Chapter 16 Alone

• Elara
• I entered the grand ballroom, holding Zoe and Ellaʼs hands as we walked together. The opulence of the venue took my breath away—the chandeliers glittered like constellations against the high ceilings, and the marble floors gleamed under the soft glow of ambient lighting.
• This was the most luxurious hotel in the city, a place Iʼd only ever seen in magazines and had never imagined visiting myself. Alaric had chosen it deliberately, making a statement that was impossible to ignore.