Chapter 17

Selene's POV

Since the banquet, I hadn’t seen Victor. Not even once.

And somehow, that made everything worse.

There was this heavy cloud sitting in my chest, and every day it got heavier. It was like I couldn’t breathe properly, like my heart was dragging my body down with it.

I had tried to stay strong. Really, I had. But the image kept playing in my head.

Victor and Camilla. In the middle of the hall. Her arms around him. His arms around her.

And me… just walking away to a corner like I meant nothing. Like I had never meant anything at all.

I recalled a memory so clearly it hurt—the first time I showed him a dress I loved.

It was a soft cream silk dress with tiny gold details at the waist. I had picked it out from the catalog one of the maids had left behind. It wasn’t even expensive. But it was elegant. I thought it looked beautiful.

I brought it to Victor, smiling like a girl in love. But the way he looked at it… it was like I had offered him something dirty.

“You shouldn't wear