CHAPTER 21 Chains of Obligation

　　Julian's POV

　　The drive back from Amelia's house stretched endlessly, though the road was familiar. My grip on the steering wheel tightened, the silence inside the car weighing heavily on me. The evening replayed in my mind like an unpleasant memory I couldn't shake.

　　Amelia's laugh still rang in my ears loud, shrill, and grating. She had spent most of the evening talking about her plans for some charity gala, barely pausing to breathe, let alone to ask how I was. Her self-absorbed chatter had filled every corner of the room, suffocating in its superficiality.

　　The memory of the banquet lingered like a bad aftertaste, an event I would have preferred to forget. My mind, however, seemed intent on replaying it, especially the dance with Amelia, a moment that had perfectly captured the imbalance between what I wanted and what I was expected to endure.