“Sometimes, betrayal wears the face of friendship.”

~$~

I’m pacing again.

The library is too quiet. Too many books lined up in their little golden-trimmed coffins, filled with legalese and loopholes and ancient men who thought they knew power. I’ve been here an hour, maybe more, pretending that if I read enough pages, I’ll find something. A clause. A signature. A hidden string I can pull to bring down this entire nightmare marriage.

But every page just reminds me—I’m not a lawyer. I’m a prisoner with good posture.

The door clicks open.

I turn fast, heart in my throat, ready to lie, ready to run, ready to—

“Ava?”

She’s here....