Claudia’s POV
The photo glows on Aurelia’s phone screen — Lior leaning in, Lila’s face half-turned toward him, too close, too soft. I stare at it for a moment, the corner of my mouth lifting. “Now that,” I murmur, “is a brilliant capture. You really have an eye for timing, Aurelia.”
She exhales sharply, restless. “I didn’t take it for art, Claudia. I took it to show you what’s happening right under our noses.”
I can hear the anger simmering in her voice, the kind that burns without direction. She turns as if to storm off, but I move faster. My fingers close around her wrist, firm enough to stop her, not enough to hurt. “And what do you think you’re planning to do?” I whisper, low and sharp, because there are some moves you don’t make on impulse.
She rips her hand out of mine like I’ve
