ACE
Ella stared at me like I had struck her.
For a moment, she said nothing at all. Her mouth opened, then closed again. Her fingers curled into the fabric of her dress as if she needed something to hold onto to stay upright.
“I—” she started, then stopped. “Ace, I don’t—what are you talking about?”
I did not move. I did not soften my voice.
“Did you leave Lily a note in my name?”
The silence stretched. Too long. Heavy. Damning.
Her eyes flicked toward the door, then back to me. Her lips parted again.
“I just thought—” she said, breathless now. “I mean, I might have said something, but it wasn’t like that. You’re making it sound—”
“Answer me,” I snapped.
She flinched.
“I didn’t mean for anything bad to happen,” she rushed out. “I swear. I would never hurt Alice. You know that.”
