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AUTHOR’S POV
The grand ballroom was alive with soft laughter and the clinking of glasses, the warm golden glow of chandeliers reflecting off crystal and polished marble floors.
Adeline sat poised at the head of a round table, surrounded by influential guests who hung onto every word of conversation, their voices mingling with the delicate notes of a string quartet playing in the background.
She smiled at the man seated beside her, elegantly swirling the wine in her glass before taking a slow sip.
The taste of aged red lingered on her tongue, but even as she engaged in lighthearted conversation, a strange, nagging sensation settled over her.
A prickling awareness at the back of her neck.
A weight—an invisible force pressing against her skin, drawing her attention no matter
