LILY
The ride back was quiet.
Alice slumped against the leather seat beside me, her earlier excitement finally wearing itself out. Her fingers were still faintly sticky, her eyelids heavy as she traced lazy shapes against the window. The driver kept his eyes forward, the hum of the car steady and unobtrusive.
I sat with my hands folded in my lap, very aware of the space Ace had left behind.
He hadn’t said goodbye to me. Not really. Just instructions, delivered like a final stamp of authority, and then he was gone—already walking away before I could respond. The ease with which he exited situations unsettled me more than his presence ever did.
Alice leaned closer, her head brushing my arm. “Daddy said no more sweets,” she murmured, already half-asleep.
“I know,” I whispered. “You did
