Chapter 71

Alyssa sat in the small, dimly lit room, her mind spinning, and for the first time in hours, there was silence. No accusations, no glares. Just stillness.

Ebsy stood nearby, leaning against the wall. He had that look he always wore when things got heavy—worried but trying to hide it. He was terrible at hiding things, though, not from her. “Are you okay?”

“I don't know,” Alyssa whispered, letting out an unsteady breath. She still hadn’t fully grasped how close she had come to being caught.

“You have to stay in here till you're better,” Ebsy proposed.

“I'm fine,” she swallowed, her hands shaking slightly as she ran them through her hair, trying to calm herself.

“How long will they be here?” She inquired, gazing up at him.

“I don't know Ally,’’ he said, shaking his head slightly. “But I'm pretty sure it's going to be a long one with everything that happened today.”

“I shouldn’t have dragged you into this,” she whispered, staring at her hands. “I’m sorry.”

Ebsy shook his head. "You didn’t