"Number one: You eloped with silver fox and are currently on a beach somewhere."
"I didn't elope."
"Number two: Leo did something horrible, and you murdered him."
"I didn't murder anyone."
"Number three…" Tiana checks her notes. "Something incredibly complicated happened involving both Leo and Axel, and you're trapped in the middle of it."
I go quiet.
"Oh shit," Chloe breathes. "It's number three, isn't it?"
"Yeah, or I think it is."
They lean forward simultaneously.
"Spill. Now."
I take a breath. "Axel told my father he wants to break off my engagement to Leo."
Chloe drops her coffee mug. Tiana just stares.
"And Leo says he doesn't want to break it off. And my father's losing his mind trying to figure out what the hell happened between them. And they've been locked in Dad's office arguing, and no one will tell me anything."
"Wait, wait, wait." Chloe's picking up her mug, wiping coffee off her desk. "Axel wants to END the engagement?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I DON'T KNOW! That's the problem!" My voice rises. "He won't see me. Won't talk to me. He's only talking to my father, and Dad won't tell me what they're discussing. I'm just—I'm sitting in this house listening to them shout through walls."
"What's Leo doing?" Tiana asks.
"Drinking. Muttering about his rights. Getting angrier by the hour." I press my hands to my face. "The tension in this house is insane. Security's been doubled. Everyone's on edge. And I'm just—I'm in the dark about my own life."
"This is number three, but like number three on steroids," Chloe mutters.
"Do you think Axel told your father?" Tiana's voice is careful. "About the baby?"
"I don't know. Maybe? But if he did, Dad would've confronted me by now. He would've—" I stop. "I have no idea what's happening, and I feel like I'm losing my mind."
"We're coming there," Chloe says immediately.
"No."
"Aurora—"
"Not yet. Please. With everything so unstable, with the security situation—" I shake my head. "Just give me a few days. Let this settle."
"You promise you're safe?" Tiana's eyes are worried.
"Physically, yes. Emotionally?" I laugh bitterly. "I'm a mess."
"We love you," they say in unison.
"I know. I love you too."
