Chapter 50

• The park bench was chilly beneath Amara, the chill seeping into her jeans. Leo was beside her, his tension and anticipation a mix in the air. Liana had taken off towards the playground, her tiny figure lost in the waves of children. The air was heavy with the scent of fresh grass and laughter from afar.
• Leo shifted, his voice flat and even. "You said you needed to speak. Something wrong, Amara?"
• Amara's fingers trembled in her lap. She'd rehearsed this moment in her head a thousand times, and still nothing could ready her for the weight of it now. "It's about Liana," she started, her voice barely more than a breath.