The day after the banquet was quiet, but Maya’s heart was still full. She stood inside her boutique, carefully folding fabrics and adjusting a dress on one of the mannequins. Her thoughts kept drifting back to the night before—how Elias had stood up for her, how his grandmother had been kind, and how the other guests had looked at her with respect instead of pity.

The moment she had walked into the banquet hall, dressed in the gown Elias had given her, she felt like someone else. Strong. Confident. Beautiful. For a long time, she had hidden behind pain and heartbreak, but last night reminded her that she was more...