Whispers of the Past

Lilia didn't know why, but the moment those words left Ava's lips, a tightness gripped her chest, even more unbearable than the last. It was unfamiliar, unsettling—an emotion she couldn't quite place.

These two seemed more familiar with each other than she had realized, and for some reason, she felt like an outsider. An intruder in a conversation that wasn't hers.

Of course, she could mask it—she had done it before, during lessons—but never for this long. Those lessons her father had insisted she take seriously, all for the sake of marrying Lowell. Yet, in the end, she hadn't married Lowell. She had ended up with… someone else. And now, faced with this moment, she was certain she couldn't hold back her emotions much longer. Still, she tried. She had to. She wouldn't let anything slip, especially not in front of this woman.