Elle's POV
After we left the boutique, I decided to walk Claire back home. The sun was slowly setting, and the sky had turned a mix of orange and pink. The shadows on the dirt path stretched longer and longer as we walked. There was a cool breeze, and it made the leaves on the nearby trees rustle softly.
We talked about random things—like clothes, the changing weather, and a funny story she told me about Fiona slipping and falling on wet mud during a ceremony. I laughed out loud when she described it. It felt good to laugh, even if just for a while. But deep down, my mind wasn’t really there.
That strange mark I had seen on Claire’s back wouldn’t leave my thoughts. It kept flashing in my head over and over again. I wanted to ask her about it. I really did. But I stopped myself. It didn’
