Tulip made her way back into the crowded reception hall, her composure carefully reconstructed despite the chaos brewing beneath the surface. Her pulse hammered against her throat, and every nerve in her body felt raw from whatever had transpired moments earlier. The festive atmosphere around her seemed to mock the darkness now clouding her thoughts.
She forced herself to breathe steadily as depression threatened to consume her entirely. The weight of her circumstances pressed down like a suffocating blanket, yet she maintained her practiced smile. No one could see the turmoil eating away at her from within.
