Riley's POV
The ocean kept rolling in and out, filling the silence Aria and I could not. My throat ached from speaking, but I wasn’t done.
“There was more,” I said, my voice low. “After everything, their parents stepped in. Every charge was pulled back. They buried the whole case because they were terrified of ruining their perfect image.”
Aria’s head turned sharply toward me, but I kept my eyes on the water. “They offered protection, a clean slate, a chance to start over. And my grandmother said yes. She believed it was the only way I could heal.”
I pressed my palms together, the stone wall rough beneath my skin. “By then, everyone at school already knew bits and pieces. The whole town had some version of it, nobody really knew the truth, but that didn’t stop them, rumors spread faste
