“Dexie.”

Simon’s voice broke through the tense air, sharp and low.

Dexie’s eyes shifted, landing on Simon, calm and steady.

Simon walked over, ignoring Natalie’s smug face entirely. His gaze swept across the scene—the faint red mark on Natalie’s cheek, Dexie’s cool expression, and Luke, standing there like a bomb ready to explode.

“What happened?” Simon asked, his tone gentle, but there was an edge to it that only Dexie could catch.

Before Dexie could ...