Chapter 63: Just… speak

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The words spill out quickly, sharper than I mean them to, and I turn my face toward the window. Anywhere but him. “Sav.” His voice is steady and unhurried. He crosses one leg over the other, a picture of calm authority that makes my pulse quicken. “Perhaps you don’t understand what is going on.” I suddenly feel like I'm standing trial for murder. And he is the judge, deciding my fate. He laces his fingers together and rests them on his knee, watching me too closely. “Your father leveled some pretty heavy accusations against you today. And frankly…” He tilts his head, eyes narrowing. “I don’t believe him. I’ll only believe you. That’s why I’m asking you again. What happened with the Kingstons?” The name slices through me. Kingston. My chest tightens, the air thins. The word drags me backward in time, to a night I’ve buried, to whispers I’ve trained myself to rewrite. I freeze. My body is here, perched on the edge of the bed, but my heartbeat has