Ayla's POV
When we returned to the banquet hall, nothing seemed different. The music flowed as usual, guests interacting with one another, strengthening connections as if nothing had happened.
The only difference was Elena.
She returned with a leash clinging to her, and that leash was Sophie.
Sophie had somehow found her way back to Elena again.
As if pulled by instinct.
She clung to her without restraint, arms looped around Elena's waist, her head resting against her shoulder in a way that felt almost childish. For a moment, it was easy to forget who she was now. The global star. The face on billboards. The woman whose name could silence a room.
Here, with Elena, she was simply Sophie.
"Will you at least let me breathe alone? I'm not going to disappear," Elena said with a faint smile as she reached for a wine glass.
