Chapter 83

• Zara’s POV
• The corridor outside Talia’s dorm was alive with muffled laughter. My fingers tightened on the small, carefully wrapped gift I’d spent half the night preparing. A stupid scarf, soft cream wool, hand-stitched edges. Something simple, something I thought would make her smile.
• But as I stood there, my knuckles hovering over the wood, I realized I was stalling. My throat was dry, my palms damp. It wasn’t just a birthday gift I carried, it was a piece of myself, an attempt to say I’m still here, I haven’t forgotten us, even as my life had spiraled into Zarek’s orbit.