Chapter 60: The Truth About Clara
(Isabella's POV)
The air in Clara's room felt heavy. It was too still, too perfect, too rehearsed. It smelled faintly of rain and linen and something antiseptic, like a place that never wanted to be lived in. Clara sat on her bed, the book still tucked against her chest, watching me as though she was trying to read a language she didn't quite understand.
"We need to talk," I said again, softer this time but firm enough that she knew this wasn't one of our casual visits.
Her eyes...gray and sharp...narrowed slightly. Suspicion flickered there, faint but unmistakable. She tilted her head. "Talk? About what?"
I didn't let myself waver. "About you and Mateo."
The name landed like a crack in the silence. Yvette stiffened beside me, her arms folded, her jaw tense.
"Me and Mateo?" Clara asked and I gave her a nod.
"What's your relationship with him?" I asked her.
"My relationship... Isabella is something going on?" She asked me.
