The question stayed with them unresolved, and no one spoke. Aturah's eyes returned to the pendant, her expression filled with doubt. The Bellamy family had lost everything in the fire... their home, their wealth, every trace of their existence.
Nothing had been recovered. Yet here it was, resting against the chest of a stranger who claimed the name.
"You said Bellamy is your family name," Aturah pressed. "Does that mean you are related to them? Is that why you are wearing the pendant?"
Her confusion was clear. This was the first time she was hearing Olessia's name, and nothing about the situation fit what she knew.
The room shifted, and all eyes turned to Olessia.
She felt the weight of their attention at once. Her fingers brushed the pendant instinctively, then dropped. Words formed in her mind and scattered just as quickly. There was no simple answer she could give. No version of the truth that would sound reasonable.
