I had barely stepped out of the hallway when I felt a hand grab my wrist—sharp, desperate, trembling.

“Eve, wait!” Serena’s voice cracked behind me.

I turned, slowly. Her grip was tight, her perfectly polished nails digging slightly into my skin. Her eyes were wild—frantic, disbelieving—as though she could pull the truth back into silence by sheer force.

“What did you mean by that?” she demanded, voice rising, every syllable teetering between fear and fury. “What do you ...