The police had barely finished taking my statement when I heard the familiar click of designer heels echoing through the hallway. My stomach dropped.

"Evelyn! Oh my God, Evelyn!"

Mom burst through the apartment door like a force of nature, her perfectly styled blonde hair slightly mussed, her Chanel suit wrinkled from what must have been a frantic rush across the city. Alexander was right behind her, his face grim and tired.

Ryder's arms immediately dropped from around me. The shift was so sudden, so jarring, that I felt cold air rush in where his warmth had been.

"What in God's name were you doing here?" Mom demanded, her eyes...