Confusion.
Recognition.
And then—
Understanding.
Vanessa stepped toward him without hesitation.
“She crossed a line,” she said quickly, pointing at me. “She drank your water like she—”
Nathan didn’t look at her.
Not once.
His attention stayed on me.
And in a voice that made the entire room feel smaller—
He said,
“Emily?”
The name hung there.
Careful.
Testing.
I met his gaze.
Steady.
Unflinching.
For a moment, no one else existed.
