The late afternoon sun filtered through sheer curtains, casting warm light across the room where Mara sat, curled up on the window bench with a book in her lap she hadn't turned a page of in over an hour. Ethan then Rafael, Memories.
Mara sensed him before he knocked. The door creaked open slowly. Stanley stepped in, his expression unreadable. Mara blinked, smiling softly.
"You're quiet. That's never a good sign with you." Stanley offered a ghost of a smile but didn't sit. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and Mara's instincts stirred.
"What is it?" she asked, heart skipping. "Stanley?"He finally spoke, voice heavy.
"It's Rhina." The name hit her chest like a soft thud. "What about her?"
He looked at her now. Direct. Honest. And Mara already knew. Her stomach dropped.
"She's been working with Philip."
Silence. "What?" Mara whispered, blinking as if the words hadn't landed right.
