Hazel's POV
“I wondered how long it would take you to come find me,” Penelope said through the thick glass, her voice tired but steady in a way I had never once heard from her before.
The visiting room at the facility smelled like disinfectant and old coffee. I had not planned on coming here again after her testimony against Gerald, but Vivian’s message had left me no real choice.
“Vivian Hale,” I said, watching Penelope’s face carefully. “She says you know something about her. Something she thinks I need to hear.”
Something shifted behind Penelope’s eyes, a flicker of old shame mixed with something closer to fear. She glanced at the guard by the door before leaning closer to the glass.
“Vivian was not just Gerald’s daughter,” she said quietly. “She was his student. He trained her the
