Lila ordered a drink, laughing lightly at something the bartender said. She did not look over again.
Which was somehow worse.
April leaned in.
“We can leave.”
Eleanor shook her head once.
“No.”
“You sure?”
“No,” Eleanor said. “But I’m tired of leaving rooms first.”
April’s expression softened just a fraction.
The bartender set Lila’s drink down.
Lila had just stepped away from the bar when she passed Eleanor’s table.
She slowed, just enough to let Eleanor know it was deliberate.
“Oh,” she said lightly, glancing toward the far side of the room where Reid sat with Luke. “You and your boyfriend break up?”
Her mouth curved.
“How sad for you. Guess this town’s running out of district attorneys.”
Eleanor was on her feet before she even realized she had moved.
“So is it Lila Allen or Grant these days?” she said. “Or is Grant just the stage name?”
Lila went still.
Completely still.
For one second, the room disappeared.
Then, slowly, something almost like satisfaction crossed her face.
“Good,” she said quietly. “I’m glad you finally know.”
Eleanor stared at her.
“Yes,” Lila said. “It was always me.”
April was already pushing back from the table.
“Eleanor—”
But Eleanor couldn’t stop.
“You spent years following me. Ruining things. Punishing me for something I didn’t do.”
“My cousin died,” Lila snapped. The words cracked like a whip through the room. “And her filthy, lying husband killed her.”
Half the bar had gone silent now.
