Chapter 9

"That's—that's a lie!" Serena's voice cracked, shrill and desperate. "Ezra, how could you say that?! I would never—I love Iris! Everything I did was to protect her!"

Ezra didn't even look at her. His eyes were on me.

I stared back—and for the first time, I let myself think without shame.

"Thank you."

A muscle in his jaw relaxed. Almost imperceptible.

Guests were already murmuring—but differently now. The sympathy tide was shifting.

"Locked her in a room? What kind of family—"

"If that's true about the medical treatment..."

"I always thought there was something off about Serena's story..."

Serena was spiraling. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for allies, finding only averted gazes.

She turned on me—nails biting into her own palms—and hissed low enough that only I could hear.

"You think you've won? You're still a mute, Iris. You can't keep using him as your puppet forever."

I tilted my head and thought: "Watch me."

Ezra's lip twitched.

Later—much later—in the quiet of his car, we sat in silence.

Real silence. No thoughts screaming for once.

Then, carefully, I formed the words in my mind.

"You can hear me."

"Yes."

"Since the wedding."

"Yes."

"Everything."

"We covered this already."

I pressed my lips together. Twisted the ring on my finger.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

He was quiet for a long time. Streetlights strobed across his face.

"Because you were already dealing with enough," he finally said. "I didn't want to become one more thing you had to guard yourself against."

Something in my chest cracked open—a door I'd kept sealed for years.

"I'm not guarding against you," I thought. "Not anymore."

He turned his head toward the window. But I caught it—the softening around his eyes.

"Ezra."

"Mm."

"I need you to tell them something else. Something about what Serena did to me. What she did when we were children."

His gaze sharpened. "Tell me."

And I did.

Everything.

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