Sophie stepped in like she had been waiting for that exact moment.
Her hands came together in a slow, deliberate clap.
The sound echoed, sharp against the walls, cutting through whatever fragile thread had been holding the air together.
A laugh followed, loud, unrestrained, the kind that didn’t ask for permission to exist.
“Wow,” she said, dragging the word out as her gaze swept across them. “This is… far from amazing.”
Matthew’s body went rigid.
The warmth that had lingered between him and Isabella thinned, replaced by something colder, heavier. His hand dropped from where it had hovered uncertainly, his fingers curling slightly at his side.
Isabella didn’t step back.
She turned slowly, her attention settling on Sophie with a calm that felt almost deliberate.
“What are you doing
