Chapter 89

Emily’s POV

The silence in the lobby stretched thin, like glass ready to shatter.

My smile was still plastered on my face, brittle and too wide, and Ava was practically vibrating with nerves beside me.

Ezra didn’t say a word, his eyes fixed somewhere past Alex’s shoulder like the floor-to-ceiling window held the secrets of the universe.

And then Alex, in his usual, oblivious way, grinned.

“You know what?” he said, clapping Ezra on the shoulder. “We should all grab lunch together. It’s been a while since the four of us sat down.”

I froze and I could feel Ava stiffened while Ezra blinked.

Lunch… Together.

The thought of sitting at a table with all of us, the four corners of this messy, tangled web made my stomach churn but Alex’s face was so open, so unassuming, that I couldn’t even bring myself to argue.

“That… sounds nice,” I managed, my voice catching halfway through.

Ava made a strangled noise that I think was supp