The air was still thick with tension as the sound of heels clicking on marble echoed down the grand hallway. Ava stood frozen, her mind racing in the wake of Eva's cruel words. The ballroom had emptied out in the wake of the confrontation, the guests long gone, leaving the three of them alone in the cavernous space.
Shen stood next to her, his presence a comfort, but even he couldn't shield her from the weight of her sister's accusations. His silence was heavy, not because he didn't know what to say, but because he could feel the subtle shift in the air, the way things had changed between them in an instant.
Ava's hands clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palms as she struggled to control the flood of emotions threatening to spill over. Eva's words kept replaying in her mind, over and over again: "You've been lying to yourself about who you're really in love with."
