Hayley's POV

 

The next morning, I was zoning out in the kitchen, trying to piece together the emotional rollercoaster of Aiden's messed-up backstory, when Mom's raised voice drifted in from the living room.

 

"I need you to accelerate the timetable. We're quickly running out of runway for containing this situation."

 

I froze, a cup of coffee halfway to my lips, as I strained to make out who she was talking to. That clipped, all-business tone seemed wildly out of character for my usually soft-spoken mother.

 

"Potential exposure by the circles grows more severe each day," she continued tersely. "Haley's defiance has already put us in a deeply vulnerable position that...