Her hand held Laura’s tightly in a tender, protective manner.
“That’s because of this.” Laura reached into her bag and pulled them out. The fake earrings.
She bit her lip, turning toward me, her eyes shimmering as if weighed down by guilt.
“Ava… I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I never meant for things to turn out like this.”
My wolf’s ears twitched. Here it comes, the story.
“Four years ago,” she continued, “when Jasper was born, I moved to Smith Villa to take care of him.”
Her voice was calm, controlled, and perfectly paced.
“I was worried he might break your things, so I moved them to the attic. And you know how staff can be sometimes… I didn’t want anything to get lost, so I put the earrings away for safekeeping.”
Safekeeping.
My wolf let out a silent, humorless huff.
“But I hav
