Chapter FIFTY-ONE

Lusia I stepped further into the room, my bare feet brushing against the smooth tile, every movement slow, hesitant. The air was thick with something unspoken, an unnamed tension crackling between us like the air before a storm. King Dane stood just ahead of me, his broad shoulders stiff, his presence magnetic. Then, she appeared. Kiara stepped out of the walk-in closet, a chocolate cake delicately balanced in her hands, her brown eyes alight with something unreadable. She was wearing nothing but sheer black lingerie, the lace barely concealing the curves of her body, as if she had been waiting—planning—for this exact moment. A sharp sting lanced through my chest, and my breath caught in my throat. I felt like an intruder, an unwelcome guest in a moment that was never meant for me. Was it foolish of me to think Dane and I shared something real? Had he even found the time to reconcile with his fiancée? I was confused by the drama that unfolded before me. What was Kiara doing there? She