Chapter 51. The Confession

Layla’s POV

The stars began to fade one by one, and the night did lose its charm, but my head was still spinning. The weight of the evening, the eyes watching, the whispered words—they should have unsettled me, but they didn’t. Not anymore. I had come too far, endured too much, to let Orion or Grace dictate how I felt. But there was something more bothering me, something I couldn’t quite shake.

Ezra.

He was a lifesaver tonight; he was the one piercing through Grace’s little jabs and also Orion’s unapproachable attitude like a well-honed blade. Like he had stood for himself—also stood by my side. And although I appreciate it, something in me couldn’t understand why I appreciate it.

Long breaths and I stepped onto the terrace, leaving the hot mic inside. The cool night breeze kissed the skin, unlike the warm atmosphere in the ballroom. Footsteps came after me, steady, unhurried. I knew who it was before I turned.

“You disappeared,” said Ezra, his v