STEPHANThe moment she ran, I knew I had made the worst mistake of my life.
I stood frozen for one second in the middle of that corridor, hearing the echo of my own voice still hanging in the air.
Those words had been meant to protect order, to silence gossip. Instead, they had destroyed the woman I loved.
I saw the tear that slipped down her cheek before she turned away. I saw the way her shoulders shook even as she tried to hold herself together. I saw the humiliation on her face while my staff stood there pretending not to stare.
Something inside me dropped so violently it felt like the floor had disappeared beneath my feet.
"The meeting adjourned," I snapped. No one moved.
I turned sharply, my voice rising with a fury that made several people flinch.
"NOW."
Chairs scraped. Papers were gathered. No one dared speak as everyone found their way out of the hall room.
My father called my name once, low and warning but I ignored him and was already moving.
