Amara frowned, clearly irritated. “Please stop ruining the party.”

Bella’s cruel words stabbed at me. “Her life was important, but it’s already ruined,” she said, each word cutting deeper than the last.

Xavier, frustrated, grabbed Bella’s hand and pulled her away, preventing her from saying more.

“Don’t mind her. She has a habit of ruining everything,” Amara explained anxiously. “My name is Amara Collins.”

I reached out, ready to shake her hand, when a man with shiny ...