YELENA

Livia jumped in so fast to defend her, “No, Mrs Crossword… nothing like that happened. She was just talking out of nothing she even knew about. I came back when I felt like it.”

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Mrs Crossword’s voice sliced through her words. “I’m talking to my daughter.”

She didn’t even raise her tone much, but it hit hard.

The silence that followed was sharp. For a moment, very brief, I smiled. I swear, the way Livia’s eyes widened like she’d ...