Overwhelmed by the reek of alcohol, Lina Riley sensed that Victoria Ashwood was trailing her, so she quickened her pace, hoping to shake the woman off. Alas, this was the royal palace, not somewhere she could freely resort to force.
"Lina!"
That same sickeningly familiar call. Lina halted. In the moonlight, Victoria staggered closer, encouraged by Lina's pause. But she had drunk far too much. Memories of both lifetimes swirled together, and she forgot that Lina was no longer the woman who had once loved her.
She reached out, wanting to grab Lina's hand, only for Lina to jerk away. Seeing the disappointment on Victoria's face, Lina felt a wave of revulsion and realized how blind she had been in the previous life.
The emptiness of her failed grasp brought Victoria back to reality for an instant. Half-delirious, she mumbled, "Oh… everything's different now."
