Nicolas turned to me, his eyes pleading, but I couldn’t meet his gaze. I felt exposed, caught in the center of a storm I had no idea how to weather.
“I—I came to check on her,” Nicolas stammered. “And plead with her to help me talk to you.” he quickly lied.
She turned to me, her eyes brimming with tears again. “Did you hear Him? Instead of coming home, he chose to come here.”
I opened my mouth, but no sound came out. There was nothing I could say, nothing, even if my life depended on it.
“Stella,” Nicolas whispered, shaking his head. "It's hard talking to you these days, that's why I came to your best friend for help."
I cleared my throat, trying to force my voice to steady as I stepped forward. “Stella, Nicolas is telling the truth. He’s been worried about you. He didn’t know how to
