At the door, she paused—looked back.
“But you should know,” she added lightly, “people don’t just start rumors. They’re fed.”
The bell jingled as they left.
Becca stood frozen.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she finally understood—
Izzy hadn’t destroyed her alone.
Izzy didn’t speak until they were back in the car.
Snow hissed under the tires as he pulled away from the shop, jaw tight, hands gripping the steering wheel harder than necessary.
“What was that?” he snapped.
Jenna rolled her eyes, pulling her coat tighter around herself. “What?”
“You didn’t have to say all that.”
She laughed softly. “Relax. I was curious.”
“You don’tget curious like that,” Izzy said. “You don’t go into places just to poke.”
Jenna glanced at him then—really looked at him. “Why? Are you scared of her?”
Izzy scoffed, but it came out wrong. Forced.
“She’s nothing,” he said too quickly. “Just… someone I used to know.”
Jenna smiled faintly, turning to look out the window. “Funny. She didn’t feel like nothing.”
That silence again.
Izzy’s stomach twisted.
He hadn’t meant for this to happen.
He hadn’t meant to bring Jenna anywhere near Becca. He’d thought it was harmless showing off, flexing, proving he’d moved on.
But the moment Jenna spoke in that shop…
The moment he saw the way her eyes assessed Becca—
Something cold had settled in his gut.
“She’s not part of this,” Izzy said. “You should leave her alone.”
Jenna’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You don’t get to tell me who’s part of anything.”
Izzy swallowed.
He knew her father waspowerful.
Everyone did.
