Ellie’s POV.
The ride to the restaurant felt longer than it actually was. The van was quiet, but inside me, everything felt loud and messy. I was sitting beside Asher, while five guards sat around us. Guards that my mother had sent to keep an eye on me and make sure I stayed close to the man I didn’t love.
I glanced at Asher, who looked oddly cheerful. His foot tapped lightly against the floor, and there was a strange smile on his face.
“Where are we going, Ellie?” he asked.
I looked at him closely. His eyes were too bright. He seemed more like a kid excited to play in the mud than like a grown man. The way he behaved sometimes, it didn’t match his age or the seriousness of our situation.
I forced a smile. I didn’t want to trigger anything. “We’re going to a Chinese restaurant.”
He
