““Hundreds of eyes watched him like vultures circling a wounded dog, but they didn’t matter. Only one pair of eyes mattered to Grey at that moment. It only made sense that he should be the only one in the room not wearing a mask. He had hidden himself for so long, that it felt somehow cleansing to put himself on such blatant display. He deserved this blatant attention. And on some level, he needed it. Head high, he walked through the ballroom, the crowd parting for him. They didn’t draw back so much that he couldn’t hear their whispers. “The nerve!” “Did you see the scar?” “Always did know how to make an entrance.” “He’s so handsome!” Grey stopped listening. It didn’t matter what they said. All that mattered was finding Rose, and somehow he knew that she would be waiting at the end, letting him make this walk alone as he needed to do.””
