Chapter 102

Elodie’s POV

When the lights went out, it wasn’t the soft, theatrical kind of fade a gala planner might do to announce a performance. It was abrupt, absolute, the kind of blackout that swallowed sound and color in one breath.

One second the ballroom glowed gold, the chandeliers scattering warm light over silk gowns and polished marble, and the next there was nothing but pitch—so complete and sudd