Chapter 598: The Quiet Between Answers
Sophia was being pulled in different directions, laughing and dancing with her friends.
Even settling arguments.
At some point, someone had tried to balance a cup on Joren's head.
At another, Cat had attempted to teach Nia something that looked suspiciously like a performance rather than a dance.
Dren had nearly knocked over a table.
Micah had stopped him barely. Elizabeth had let it slide, saying today was a day to celebrate after all.
Sophia laughed through it all. The smile on her face became a permanent fixture.
But eventually, even joy needed a pause.
She stepped back from the circle, her breath uneven from laughing too much, her cheeks flushed from the cold and the movement. Her fingers brushed briefly against her side as she tried to steady herself.
"I'll be back," she said, though no one was really listening anymore.
They were too caught up in their own chaos.
She smiled anyway.
