“I’ve tried to do everything carefully,” Diane whispered. “She trusts me too much. I… I almost feel guilty sometimes.”

Elise pressed her knuckles to her mouth, biting back the gasp that threatened to spill. Her chest felt like it might implode.

She had heard Diane’s voice, but she still did not want to believe. But the longer she stayed, the more everything began to click into place: the odd advice, the constant insistence that pulling away was ‘best for Alejandro,’ the way Diane always seemed to appear when her doubts were sharpest.

She staggered back from the doorway, her hands still on her lips before her trembling legs gave her...