Elias POV

Thirty minutes had passed since Mara excused herself.

Amira’s laughter drifted toward me, light and careless, but it barely registered. I checked my watch, again. And again. Nothing. Mara hadn’t returned.

A tight knot formed in my chest.

Amira leaned closer, her perfume sharp, cloying. “Are you even listening to me?” she asked, her tone playful, flirtatious.

I didn’t answer.

My gaze swept the room, sliding past glittering lights and bodies moving to the pulse of the music. I searched every face, every corner.

She wasn’t there.

I pushed back from the table and stood. “Excuse me,” I muttered, already stepping away.

The dance floor swallowed me whole—heat,...