Isla POV

I searched for him for what felt like an hour – the main hall, the restrooms, the side corridors – but found nothing. Not even a single trace of Lucian Vale.

By the time I reached the long back corridor where they stored the decorations, my chest was already tight with fear. Why had he left the ballroom? Was it because of Vivienne? Had she said something that triggered him so badly he had to leave?

Then a sound from behind a closed door stopped me: a ragged breath, the scrape of a shoe, something that sounded almost like a sob swallowed before it finished.

I pushed the...