10.

LYRA

I sat alone at the bar, gulping my beer and feeling like a stranger that I was.

. The gala event was in full swing, with laughter and music filling the air, but I couldn't shake the feeling of not belonging. No matter how elegantly dressed I was, I knew I didn't measure up.

I glanced around the room, searching for a familiar face, but Sage was nowhere to be found. He was probably off schmoozing with his business partners, leaving me to fend for myself. Again. I wasn't surprised. I knew how this game was played.

Not that I cared. He had strictly warned me to not try anything funny and to lay low for as long as we were going to be here.

The incident in the car still made me wince in embarrassment while gulping my seventh cup of alcohol. I can count the number of times I have had alcohol, let’s just we don’t work well together.

But tonight I felt like I needed this to clear my mind on what has been going on lately.

I took another sip of my beer, feeling the alcohol coursing through