Signed In Silence
I stood shielded behind Leander’s broad shoulder, my fingers digging into the expensive sapphire silk of my gown until my nails bit painfully into my palms.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to tear Vivienne's smug smile off her face.
But instead, a cold, numb armor settled over me. I looked at my half-sister, at the bump she was parading like a trophy and felt nothing but a profound, sickening exhaustion.
"Let's go," I whispered to Leander, my hand finding his forearm and pressing firmly against the tense muscle. "They aren't worth the breath."
Leander’s gaze lingered on Raphael for a beat longer, a silent promise of complete, systematic ruin before he smoothly pivoted.