My hand rested on the cold metal doorknob, knuckles tight, pulse thrumming in my ears. I could hear her voice now, closer, sharper, and yet laced with that infuriatingly sweet cadence she always wore when she thought no one else was listening.

“If Roman finds out,” Bella said, her voice low but urgent, “you will never get Nova back, and I will lose my life as it is now.”

I froze.

The knob was heavy in my grip, my other hand pressing against the door frame. I didn’t move. I ...