Chapter 189

Scarlett The bar, as expected, was packed. The moment we stepped closer, the air hit me—pheromones layered over alcohol and cigarette smoke, all of it tangled together in a dizzying haze. Laughter, loud voices, clinking glasses. It was chaotic, alive, and overwhelming. We were supposed to go to a restaurant. That was what we told Lucien. What I promised. Yet something felt wrong the moment we turned a corner. The path was unfamiliar. Too loud. Too… vibrant. I realized it was too late. The thumping beat of disco music vibrated through the ground beneath my feet, chatter spilling out in waves, the lively noise unmistakable even without sight. This wasn’t a restaurant. This was a bar. “Kathleen—” I started, finally putting the pieces together. But before I could retort, before I could even scold her for tricking me, she had already dragged me forward, pulling me straight toward the entrance as if she’d been waiting for this exact moment. The music swallowed us whole. She dragged me over a