Chapter 33

• “Ava, you need to listen to me.”
• Lydia’s voice sliced through the quiet hum of the house like a storm cloud rolling in. I barely had time to process the urgency in her tone before she took a step closer, her eyes sharp, her expression unwavering.
• I opened my mouth to say something—anything—to dismiss her, but the words stalled on my tongue. Because in that moment, standing across from me, Lydia didn’t look like the woman I had once considered a friend. She looked like a stranger. One who was hiding something, something I wasn’t sure I was ready to face.