The moment the meeting ended and Alan closed his folders, Lena felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. Her head was still spinning from the revelations, the conditions, the weight of responsibility pressing down on her shoulders. She and Lana exchanged a glance—one unspoken agreement passing between them. They needed air. Distance. Escape.
As they stood and gathered their coats, hoping to slip away quietly, it became painfully clear that silence would not be granted to them.
“Oh, Lena, darling—may I call you Lena?” a woman with too-bright lipstick and an overly familiar smile stepped into her path. “I’m your Aunt Clarissa. Well… technically by marriage, but family all the same now, isn’t it?”
Lena stiffened. “I—hello,” she replied politely, already shifting her weight uncomfortably.
A
