Zara’s POV
The whisper sliced through me, colder than the cold air outside. For a second, my knees buckled. I wanted to vanish into the polished floor, to let the ground c***k open and swallow me whole.
But when I forced my gaze up, that’s when I saw them.
Atlas. Standing near the fountain centerpiece, his shoulders tense, his jaw carved. His eyes—usually calm, unshaken—darkened as if a storm had been summoned inside him. His hands clenched at his sides, knuckles white against his suit.
Jace. Just a few steps away, leaning half into the shadows as though torn between stepping forward or retreating. His eyes, those deep, familiar eyes that once haunted me narrowed, and I caught the faintest tremor ripple across his mouth. He had stiffened. He’d heard.
And Alex. Oh, Alex. My ex-best fri
