I called Bliss on my way to campus. I wanted to know if she'd heard from Henry, but if I was being honest, I needed to hear someone say this wasn't as bad as it felt. That everything wasn't falling apart. That somehow this was fixable.
She didn't answer.
By the time I pulled up to the south end of campus, a familiar twist had settled deep in my gut. And before I even reached the main building, I knew something was off.
People were whispering.
They were staring. Some tried to look away when I met their gaze. Others didn't bother.
I told myself I was being paranoid. I told myself I was projecting my own fear into the world around me.
Until Bliss rushed toward me, eyes wide with concern.
"Alora." She said breathless, the words almsot stumbling out of her mouth. "Everyone knows."
I stopped walking. My heart skipped a beat. "Knows what?"
"That you're Mrs. Gulf." She said it like a punchline, not a secret. "And that you're cheating."
I blinked at her, mouth parting.
