"What aren't you telling me?" I push.
She studies me for another moment, then neutralizes her tone. "Apparently, Demi went to Mikhail and had him sign a confidentiality form. Due to client-attorney rules, at this time, your father and uncles don't know."
Relief hits me. When Red and I figure this out and eventually get married, they'll have to know. Right now, I'm not ready to share my secret with them.
"It should come from you," Aunt Kora insists.
I snap, "They aren't to know anything."
"Blue—"
"I'm not telling them. Not until Red and I are ready."
"You can't keep seeing him," she declares.
I scoff. "You can't stop love, Aunt Kora. And Red and I love each other."
Her jaw tightens as if she's restraining a response she doesn't allow herself. She carefully asserts, "If you see him, you're putting both of yourselves in danger."
"I'm not arguing with you. Next topic," I declare.
"Honey—"
"End of conversation," I say again, glaring at her.
She takes a few deep breaths, then hands me my purse. "I assume everything is in your bag, but you should check."
I take it, tug the zipper, and grab my phone. I turn it on, hoping Red's texted or tried to call me. I search the text and phone logs, and my breath tightens. I steady it through my nose and lift my eyes to my aunt. "Aunt Kora, why is my phone scrubbed?"
She firmly replies, "Because it needed to be."
My fingers curl around the phone. "What did you do?"
She doesn't flinch. "I cleaned up your situation."
"You erased it. That's not cleaning."
The car turns and accelerates.
She declares, "I'm protecting my client."
I turn fully toward her. "You didn't ask."
"I didn't need to. You're my client, remember?"
I exhale sharply and press my tongue to the roof of my mouth until it steadies. My voice trembles. "You had no right!"
Warning edges into her tone. "This is a very serious situation, Blue. Red can go to prison for what occurred between the two of you. Is that what you want?"
"Prison!"
"Yes. Is that what you want?" she repeats.
My insides quiver. "No. Of course not!"
"Then listen to me closely. It's over between the two of you. Understand?" She lifts her eyebrows.
I look back down at my phone and open my camera. All the photos I took for Red are gone. Even the ones I never shared and kept because they anchored something I wasn't ready to explain.
