?Chapter 247:


    Finally home, finally wanted, Eloise let herself hope—maybe, just maybe, she could have a real friend for the first time. Genuine happiness sparkled in her eyes as she gathered up her skirt and hurried toward Christina.


    Even though Christina stood half-hidden in the shadows, Eloise spotted her instantly—drawn to her like a moth to antern’s glow.


    To Eloise, Christina was simply radiant.


    “Ah!” Thea shrieked as wine sshed over the rim of her ss, droplets narrowly missing her pristine white dress. If she hadn’t gripped the ss tightly, it would’ve crashed to the floor, wine everywhere.


    “Can’t you watch where you’re going?” Thea snapped, shooting a venomous re at Eloise.


    Katie eyed Eloise in the pink princess gown, her envy sharpening as she took in Eloise’s delicate, doll-like beauty and wide, luminous eyes. That dress, though, was exactly the kind of outdated costume she hadn’t touched in years.


    Katie sneered inwardly. Tacky as hell. Her face twisted with disgust. Who let this bumpkin into the Hubbard family’s party? Was this woman so broke that she had to drag out antique hand-me-downs? Was she just another Christina—someone desperate to weasel her way into high society?


    Unable to speak, Eloise raised her trembling hands and signed, guilt written across her face. “Sorry, it was my fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”


    Eloise instantly caught the scorn shimmering in Katie’s and Thea’s eyes, a look she knew too well—one that belonged to the people who’d trampled her trust for years. Years of relentless bullying had left her with a deep-seated instinct to flinch, and now she stood trembling, every muscle tense with fear.


    Thea noticed the princess dress Eloise wore was a relic from years past, instantly pegging her as someone who might’ve sneaked in.


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    “Talk if you have anything to say! What’s with the hand signals?” Thea barked, irritation shing in her eyes. “Don’t you know how to apologize properly?”


    Katie leaned forward with a sly grin. “Oh, haven’t you caught on? She can’t talk.” At that, realization flickered in Thea’s eyes, her lips curling into a sneer.


    Eloise flinched, her shoulders quivering as she instinctively edged away. The contempt on Thea’s and Katie’s faces sent her spiraling back to all those years she’d been cornered and mocked by heartless bullies. Visions of jeering faces shed through her mind—wolves circling, ready to tear her apart with their words.


    “So she’s mute!” Thea noted, her voice thick with scorn. “What a waste. All that beauty and not a word to show for it.”


    For a split second, Thea’s envy shone through. No matter how outdated the dress, Eloise wore it with effortless grace.


    “Who’d she have to butter up to sneak in here? That antique thing she’s wearing—does she actually think it’s some sort of treasure?” Katie huffed, her tone dripping with disdain.


    Thea’s grin twisted into a sneer of amusement. “She probably slept her way in. That dress looks like it’s been passed around a dozen times. Disgusting.”


    Katie let out a snicker, eyes glinting with malice. “Honestly, it’s filthy and cheap. What a bitch.”


    Eloise froze, terror rooting her to the spot as a cold sweat prickled along her spine. Her legs trembled so violently that she nearly copsed. The leering faces of her childhood bullies flickered through her mind, each one warped by cruelty.


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