Skylar's POV
The words of the stranger hung in the air like an uninvited guest who refused to leave.
You're lying," I said, though my voice quavered. The folder in front of me had yet to be opened, but it may as well have been a raging inferno. My hands itched to rip that folder open, to spill all its contents all over the floor so I'd never have to go face what truth lay there. But deep down, I knew-I knew it was real.
The stranger leaned back in their chair, the hood casting a shadow over their face. "I've got no reason to lie. Look inside. You'll see for yourself." Their voice was calm, almost too calm, like they were used to delivering devastating news and watching the fallout.
Julian's hand comes down on my shoulder, rooting me. "Sky, you don't have to do this now," he says quietly, but steady, a hint of sharpness beneath, warning aimed at the stranger.
