Chapter 98

“How do I look?” Clara asked, turning around so I could see her outfit in the dim hallway light of our apartment building. Her dress hugged her curves perfectly, and her hair framed her face just right. But for some reason I could only muster a flat response.

“Great,” I said lamely, forcing a half-smile.

Inside, my mind wasn’t on her or her new dress. My uncle’s words from earlier that day kept looping in my head—how he’d outed us to a stranger, how my dad had backed him without hesitation. I felt kidnapped by their betrayal. Who does that? Who sells his own family’s secrets to a stranger, to someone outside the bloodline? The more I thought about it, the heavier it felt in my chest. I exhaled sharply, wanting to shake off the bitterness, to find something—anything—to distract me.

“Let’s go, baby,” Clara’s voice broke through my spiral of thoughts. Her tone was light and playful, like she hadn’t a care in the world. She grabbed her purse and headed for the door.