Aria's heart skipped a beat when she heard Ivy say she had something to tell her. Aria knew it couldn't be anything good.
If it were good news, surely she would have told her excitedly already, but now? To make a point of saying something in advance, was she worried Aria couldn't handle it?
They were about to go downstairs anyway. Let it be, Aria thought; it wouldn't do any good to keep Ivy bottling up her feelings. Better to speak now and see if she could brace herself for it, so she wouldn't completely fall apart later on.
"What is it that you want to tell me? Just say it," Aria said, standing there.
Ivy swallowed hard, knowing she had to get it out quickly. It was better than letting it drag on. If Dad suddenly came down from upstairs, she really feared Mommy might not be able to bear it.
"Actually, Dad's already come back, he's just resting upstairs."
