Riley’s POV

“Something horrible,” Carian said, and this time there was a sly smile on her lips, but it didn’t look right. It looked forced, like she was trying to hold it together while something underneath was breaking inside her.

“Can you just talk already?” I asked, my patience running out. My voice came out sharper than I expected, and I didn’t even try to fix it. “I’m already tired of this back and forth.”

She went quiet.

Not just quiet like she was thinking, but quiet like she was holding something in.

A full minute passed, and all she did was stare at the ground like she was debating...