The room was quiet except for the faint creak of the wooden floorboards beneath Ariana's shifting feet.
I sat in a chair near the center of the room, my head bowed.
Fingers laced together as if in prayer, though nothing about my mood was pious.
I let out a low breath and, without looking up, said.
"Repeat that."
Ariana fidgeted, clutching the sides of her skirt tightly.
"I… I said… I told them..."
She murmured, her voice trembling.
"Told them what?"
I asked, though I already knew.
I just wanted her to say it again, to let the weight of her words settle into the silence.
She swallowed hard, her voice coming out in a stammering rush.
"I accidentally blurted out to Clara and Eliza that you're alive...
That you're not missing.
I—I'm really sorry, Noah!
I tried to keep it in, I swear, but it just slipped out, and—"
I raised a hand to cut her off, finally lifting my head to meet her gaze.
