Chapter 39: The Time That Froze
Emma’s POV
The wind bit at my skin as I stepped out of the Everdawn Historical Society, the weight of what I had just uncovered pressing down on me. My father had lied. He hadn’t just run from Everdawn—he had helped cover up what had happened to Caroline Montgomery.
And if he had lied about that… what else had he kept from me?
The town square was quieter now, the morning bustle fading as people went about their business. But I felt their eyes. The lingering stares. The hushed murmurs.
They knew.
Maybe not the full story, but enough. Enough to recognize the name Clarke. Enough to know that I had no business stirring up the past.
Nate walked beside me, silent but watchful. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his jacket, his jaw tight. I could tell
