Zoe's POV
For a moment, nothing happened.
The music had faded. The lights still burned overhead, but the energy they carried before had dissolved into something tense… uncertain. We stood frozen backstage, gripping the rails, barely breathing as all eyes remained fixed on Zara.
She didn't move.
Neither did she blink.
Her face was as composed as ever—polished, unreadable, almost carved in stone.
But then—
She gasped.
It was subtle. So subtle that if I hadn't been watching her like my life depended on it, I would have missed it.
"Miss Vaughn…" she said slowly.
A quiet chuckle followed.
My heart dropped. What did that mean?
"What is this?" she added.
The words sliced through the room like glass.
Ashley swayed slightly beside me. Oh God.
No. No, no, no.
I turned to her quickly, my hand hovering near her arm, ready to catch her if she fell. She looked like she might faint. I could feel the fear creeping into my chest, tightening, spreading.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
