Chapter 135 Kiara

• Okay, so the rose garden is off limits. That’s fine. But I need to find somewhere to hide and fall apart, some dark, quiet corner where I can catch my breath and mourn everything that could have been. As soon as my mother is on the dance floor, spinning happily in the arms of a portly older gentleman, I slip along the edges of the ballroom and out into the foyer.
• My heels echo against checkerboard marble tiles. Servers rush back and forth, silver trays held aloft as they dive back into the ballroom, and a grand staircase leads away from tonight’s event, up to a shadowed second floor.
• I climb the steps swiftly, dress raised in one hand, and try to look like I know where I’m going. That’s how you do it, right? Sneak around old, fancy buildings without getting stopped?