My mom stepped inside.
The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up with concern.
“Ariella, how are you feeling?” she asked quickly, rushing toward me and wrapping me in a hug.
I froze. That was new.
I looked at her, confused and quietly heartbroken. “I’m fine,” I answered softly. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
"Because of Asher," she said softly.
My heart started beating faster, but I forced a mask of confusion onto my face. My mom didn’t know me like that. She didn't know what I already knew. She looked at me with sympathy, her tone careful.
"You don’t know what happened?"
"What happened?" I asked, feigning displeasure, trying to sound annoyed and surprised.
“Oh dear, maybe we should sit down for this,” she said, placing the shopping bags by the door. She took my hand gently and led me to the
