Chapter 167. Flare Ups

Elona's POV

The elevator doors slid open onto the fifth floor of VFS, and I stepped out with my gym bag slung over one shoulder. The polished white floors reflected the overhead lights so perfectly that it almost hurt to look at them. Everything inside this building was pristine, perfect, and spotless. Nothing inside me felt the same.

My body moved on instinct more than anything else. One foot in front of the other. I smiled when someone looked my way. I kept my shoulders back. I kept my chin level. This was me being a model, surviving on repeat.

My phone felt heavier than usual inside my bag.

Rowan Patel is dead.

No matter how many times I replayed Tristan’s message in my mind, the words refused to settle into something believable. Rowan had been alive two days ago. He had been sitt