Alex POV
The ballroom still glowed golden, chandeliers dripping firelight, violins trembling sweetly in the background. But for me, the glamour was ash. My chest burned like someone had poured acid inside, and the taste of betrayal clung bitter to my tongue.
I saw Jace—his head tilted, his expression sharp and intent—as he moved after her. Always her. Zara!
Even now, when the announcement had shattered every illusion, when the world knew she was tying herself to a dragon, Jace still couldn’t look away from her. Couldn’t stay still when she fled.
My hands curled into fists around the glass stem I held, the wine sloshing violently until red spilled across my palm. I didn’t even flinch. The sting of the alcohol in the cut only sharpened the hate that knotted inside me.
I stalked forward
