The room shimmered with curated beauty, the kind that was deliberate, polished, almost theatrical in its perfection. It was all champagne haze and silk-lined chatter, where everyone floated from one polite exchange to the next, pretending not to see the tension sewn into the hems of designer gowns. These were the kinds of nights where the lighting was too flattering, the music was soft enough to mask discomfort, and everyone’s smiles were rehearsed just enough to keep the truth from breaking ...