Ava’s POV
The sun was already dipping low when I finally pulled into Bella’ house, turning the whole street this warm, golden color that felt too damn cheerful for the storm that was going on inside of me.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel before I made myself let go as soon as I arrived at her house. I just sat there in the car, staring at her door for a while. I had to do this. Had to show up tonight, pretend everything was normal, so Leon wouldn’t get suspicious at all.
I’d told him that it was a girls’ night with Bella. I told him I wanted to catch up with her since she’d just gotten back from her trip—and he’d bought it, no questions. He even smiled, and kissed my forehead. The lie had come out so easy. Too easy. But the truth? The person I was really hiding from… it wasn’t
