Not one letter waiting in my cell.
Not one person saying maybe they got it wrong.
My knees buckled without warning.
I hit the floor hard beside the counter, barely feeling it.
A sob tore loose before I could stop it.
“Why didn’t you believe me?” I whispered into my hands.
My mother.
My friends.
The whole town.
Anyone.
Tears slipped hot between my fingers.
“I didn’t do it,” I whispered again.
The words sounded exactly like they did back then.
Small.
Powerless.
Easy to ignore.
I sat there shaking for a long moment before finally dragging in a deeper breath.
Then another.
Slowly, I lowered my hands.
Wiped my face.
Forced myself back onto my feet.
The shop blurred for a second before settling again around me—flowers, ribbons, sunlight across the floor.
Normal.
Safe.
Controlled.
I straightened my shoulders carefully.
Built the walls back up piece by piece.
Because no one else was going to do it for me.
And because trusting Ace Mercer—
really trusting him—
