13: Engagement

|| Lilac’s POV || The house was a whirlwind of activity, the air thick with the scent of fresh flowers and the sound of hurried footsteps. The date of the engagement ceremony was looming closer, and with it came a flurry of preparations that left me feeling suffocated. Mom was in her element, flitting from room to room with a clipboard in hand, her voice a constant stream of instructions.  “Lilac, sweetpea, what do you think of this dress? The ivory or the gold? And the jewelry, should we go with the emeralds or the diamonds? Oh, and the shoes! We can’t forget the shoes!” I forced a smile, my patience wearing thin. “Whatever you think is best, Mom,” I said, my voice tight. I couldn’t bring myself to care about dresses or jewelry. Not when every passing moment brought me closer to a future I was desperate to escape. Kael and Luna Cassandra had become near-permanent fixtures in our home, their presence a constant reminder of the life I was being forced into. Kael’s gifts continued to arr