Aria's POV
The weeks since my encounter with Victor in that narrow alley have crawled by like wounded animals. Every time Mother summons Audrey or me to her presence, my lungs seize with terror. I wait for Tim to expose my forbidden secret, but each audience passes without catastrophe.
Today, the Moon Goddess fixes me with that penetrating stare that feels like acid eating through my flesh. She searches for cracks in my armor, hunting for the truth I guard so fiercely. But I lock my jaw tight and meet her gaze without flinching. She cannot intimidate me into confession. She has no power to steal him from me, not when the fates themselves bound us together.
The truth will surface eventually, but not today. Not while Audrey fills the air with her endless chatter and ridiculous tales, drawing Mother's focus away from me.
Mother presses her fingers against her temples and releases a weary breath. "Audrey," she says my sister's name like a curse.
