The Blue Rose

POV: Elara

Tonight, standing under those harsh security lights and staring at Kovak’s smug, unbothered face, I felt exactly like the same broken, worthless girl from three years ago. The heavy mahogany doors had just swung shut behind Aethel and me, sealing with a definitive, echoing thud that shut out the cold night air, but the freezing chill had already settled deep into my marrow.

"Elara," a