Chapter 161

Elara’s POV

"Mia—Mia, stop. Breathe."

I gripped her shoulders and held her at arm’s length. Her whole body trembled like a leaf caught in a gale. Up close, the damage was worse than I’d thought. A bruise was blooming across her left cheekbone, dark and swollen. Her lower lip was split. The torn blouse hung off one shoulder, exposing scratches along her collarbone—angry red lines where fingernails or fabric had dragged across skin.

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