Eliana held the phone tight to her ear, her voice only a whisper in the dim glow of her room. The blue gown from earlier still clung to her skin, silk against warmth, a reminder of the night's chaos and everything it had stirred up inside her. Henry's voice came soft through the line, concern threading every word, but her own secrets sat heavier, pressing down with each breath.
"Henry, I... I just don't know if I can walk away from all this," she murmured, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's like I'm trapped in a web, and every move I make tightens the threads."
On the other end, Henry's voice was steady, laced with that reserved ambition she remembered from their college days together. "Eliana, you've got to think about yourself for once. You're stronger than this. Remember that."
