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Chapter 30

last update Last Updated: 2024-10-04 11:53:15

Zara's POV

Soft hums of laughter filled the dining room, clinking of silverware against plates that echoed in the background. I looked around the table, my heart pounding just a little too fast. Everybody was here, my father, Lena, Kai's mother. All the people who mattered and for once it seemed as if everything really was all right. A bit too right, maybe.

Kai, I have to say," Mrs. Anderson said, patting her lips with her napkin, "This dinner is excellent. And Zara… you outdid yourself. The decor, the ambiance. So elegant."

I saw Kai's smile across the table and returned one. His mother had always been standoffish, suspicious even, since everything had gone down. Tonight, though, there was a different tone in her voice, something warm, almost approving.

"Thank you, Mrs. Anderson, I'm glad you like it," I tried to say without my voice sounding like it was on an even keel, while my stomach was hosting a complete ecosystem of butterflies.

"Oh, call me Helen, dear, you're family now, af
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