EMMA
The tears wouldn’t stop.
I sat on the edge of my bed in the dim glow of the bedside lamp, shoulders shaking, face buried in the silk robe I hadn’t bothered to tie. Every sob scraped raw against the silence of my flat.
“You have to tell her” the voice in my head whispered, calm and merciless. “Before they piece it together themselves.”
I rocked forward, fingers digging into my scalp. “I can’t. Not now. She’s still healing. The truth would destroy whatever fragile bridge we’re trying to rebuild. She’ll see me as the enemy, not her sister.”
“They’ll find out anyway.”the voice pressed, “It’s only a matter of time before the trail leads straight to you. And when it does, it won’t be you explaining it gently—it’ll be Ava learning the worst possible way.Is that how you want her to hear
