"Who was that woman, Celeste?"
Damien's voice had this edge. Never heard it before. Made my skin prickle.
I stood there. The phone still warm. Heart going wild.
"You know who."
His jaw went tight. "You went to see her."
"Yeah. You won't tell me anything."
"What'd she say?"
Words got stuck. "Your dad's alive. He started the fire."
We stared. The air felt heavy.
"She's lying," he said. But his voice shook.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
He looked away.
"You knew." Barely got it out. "This whole time."
"Celeste—"
"You're like her. A liar."
His hands made fists. "I was protecting you."
"Protecting? Or controlling?"
"Don't."
I went for the door. "I'm done."
"Walk out and you're not coming back."
I stopped. Looked at him. "Fine."
Slammed it. Something fell off the wall.
---
