Willow released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and turned toward the doorway, the absence Victor left behind stretching through the room like a shadow. Each step she took felt self-conscious, like walking across a stage she hadn't agreed to stand on, but she kept going. The hallway felt shorter now, narrower, its light too bright on the gift bags lined up neatly along the wall. Her heart thudded in her throat as she came to a stop in front of them. The nearest bag was white with little silver stars. Another was pale pink with tissue paper folded so carefully it made her chest tighten.
