~ Becca ~
Mrs Hale invites me for tea again.
That’s how I know this isn’t casual.
When powerful women offer tea twice in one week, it’s never about tea.
I’m seated across from her in the sunroom. Everything in here is white. Clean.
She watches the way I hold the cup.
“You were rattled yesterday,” she says.
“I wasn’t.”
“You were.”
I set the cup down carefully.
“With respect, I wasn’t.”
She tilts her head.
“You lost your composure when Stephen mentioned starting over.”
“That’s an interpretation.”
“It’s an observation.”
Silence.
Her eyes are sharp. Not cruel just intelligently observant
“You’ve never told me about your past,” she continues.
“You’ve never asked.”
“I’m asking now.”
Here it is.
The opening of the blade.
“There’s nothing dramatic,” I say evenly. “I worked. I
