“I—”
A sound cuts through the room.
A faint vibration.
On the vanity.
My phone.
Still face-down.
Still holding the voicemail I listened to until I broke apart.
Noah looks at it.
Then at me.
His voice sharpens, edges honed to a blade.
“Who’s calling you, Scarlett?”
Everything inside me seizes.
My heart drops like a stone.
I step back without meaning to, hitting the dresser, breath caught in my throat.
“No one,” I lie.
“It didn’t sound like no one.”
My hand trembles.
My chest aches.
My head throbs violently.
My voice barely makes it past my lips.
“It’s just a notification.”
“For what?”
I can’t answer.
I can’t breathe.
I can’t move.
Noah steps closer again, shadow falling over me like a closing door.
“Scarlett,” he murmurs, “if there’s something you need to tell me…” His fingers brush my jaw. “…you tell me now.”
My pulse slams.
My stomach rolls.
The locket burns against my skin.
