When Clifford arrived, they all went to the main house, the tension already thick enough to taste in the air.
The front doors had barely settled from the force of his entrance when his voice broke through the silence.
“Shelly! What did you do to her?”
His words struck the walls like a clap of thunder. He crossed the room in long strides, ignoring everyone else as if they were nothing but shadows. His eyes found Naime immediately.
“Are you okay?”
Naime could not meet his gaze. Her fingers trembled at her sides, and she turned her face away just as he reached out to smooth her disheveled hair. The tenderness in his touch only made her chest tighten. She hated that he was seeing her like this, vulnerable and exposed in front of everyone.
“I’m sorry for all this,” she said softly.
Her v
