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"What’s wrong?"

She stares at aze "My mother came to visit me," she says with her attention fixed on me

My expression plummets "Sorry That sucks I kno much you hate your visits with her"

"Do you?" She searches

"Well, it always seems that way" I fiddle with the leather band onwhat the hell has caused her deep assessment of me "I mean, I’ve seen her visit once and leave your house another ti her shook you up"

She bites down on her lip so forcefully the skin around her mouth turns white "Did you tell ht?" she sputters

My body locks up and begs ainst Doc burns in ht beneathat me, she folds her arms and sinks back in the sofa "Okay" Her knee restlessly bounces up and down as her teeth sink deeper into her lip, drawing blood

I round the coffee table and stand in her line of sight "I had to It’s part of my job" My eyes plead with her to understand, but how could she? All she knows is that I work for her father, nothing more

"Okay, I understand" She rises fro past n I could call out to her, but not a single sound passes ritto scream But like always, the silence wins

Over the next few days, E partner project without actually working together on it We fall right back to our old routine of barely speaking, only it feels worse this ti the night together, I was reminded of the spark between E out on overas an informant

When Wednesday rolls around, we drive to the University of Wyoether, per her father’s instructions The drive is quiet and painful Ten times I almost break down and tell her that it wasn’t me, that I didn’t betray her trust--that her fatherto realize that the sole fact that I listened to her father in the first place will cause Emery to distrustbullets froht, spending a lot of ti in my journal about my future, about my wants, about Emery

Emery, Ehts

I’et out,

but how?