My feet move before I can understand why I’m following them. I catch my father observing me. Scrutinizing. All the while, keeping his own mask in place.
I step close behind her, not touching, but enough to give her my warmth. Her shoulders stiffen. For simply getting closer to her? Why? She sighs and watches her breath float away on the wind.
“I need to ask you something.” Her voice wavers, but when she turns around, I can see the hardness in her eyes.
“Anything,” I reply.
She crosses her arms, eyes narrowing. I can’t read the situation, I can’t figure her out and it unnerves me. I’ve been by her bedside for days. I held her in my arms all night after we lost Tex, but now she seems… distant. Detached. I furrow my brows.
“What were you going to say that day? The day he…” the words get caught in her throat.
“It’s nothing.” I shake my head.
She frowns. “How can it be nothing? You made it seem so urgent.”
I sigh. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Why?”
“It just doesn’t.”
“Then tell me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Iz.”
“If it doesn’t matter, then just tell me.”
I huff out a breath.This woman.
“Just drop it.” I look down at her. She seems so small, so frail right now. I try to gain some insight into her questioning by staring into her eyes. The last thing she needs is my pathetic confession of feelings in the middle of all this. I can feel the pleading edge of my voice escape even though I try to stop it. “Please.”
She blinks as if I’ve stunned her. “Why did you give me your Guild ring that day?”
It’s my turn to frown. “Toprotectyou.”
She narrows her eyes further. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I can’t help but think you knew something.”
“What?” My eyes widen. “You can’t be serious.”
“Then make it make sense!” Her voice is rising. “First, you needed to tell me something urgently, but now youwon’ttell me what you were going to say because ‘it doesn’t matter’. I can’t help but think you were going to tell me not to go. Because youknewwhat was going to happen to Tex!”
“Isobel, I swear I didn’t know?—”
“But you knewsomething!” She’s yelling now. I can feel the eyes turning our way. “You could’ve stopped it!” Fresh tears race down her cheeks.
“No, Is?—”
“Get away from me!” She screams, throwing the remnants of her drink in my face. “I can’t stand to look at you!”
The door bangs open behind me. Luca rushes out and bundles her into his arms.
I wipe my face. “Isobel, that’s not —”
“Just go away, Jace.” She sobs into Luca’s chest.
