The atmosphere around the long banquet tables was loud and lively. Meat was being carved, wine was being poured, and the hum of hundreds of voices filled the cool evening air.
Liam sat rigidly, his plate untouched. His mind was back in that small, cramped room, feeling the weight of Scarlett's arms around his waist.
His eyes kept scanning the lines of servants moving between the tables, but she wasn't there. A flicker of irritation—or perhaps it was anxiety—twisted in his chest.
Is she still crying?
He pushed the thought away and tried to focus on the pack around him, but his gaze kept drifting back to the empty space where she should have been.
Beside him, Leon was also staring. He wasn't looking for a servant; he was looking for Scarlett. His own words from the library echoed in his head, sounding more cruel in the silence of his mind than they had in the heat of the moment.
"I don't want to see you ever again."
