Page 103 of Symphony for Lies

“Oh?” Mrs. Cole mused, tilting her head. “Are we interrupting something?” Her laughter was mocking. “Or does she even realize she’s the one intruding?”

The way she said that felt like a stab to the neck.

“You should’ve come home today. Our guests were shocked that you didn’t show up for such an important occasion,” Mrs. Cole continued.With a serpentine smile, she finally turned toward me. “Do you even know what’s going on?”

Zane’s fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles went white.

“Does she even know what she’s ruining?”

My blood ran cold.

When Simon grabbed my hand again, I realized I was trembling. He looked at me with eyes so round that it felt like he was pitying me.

“She’s ruining nothing.”

I was speechless. I didn’t understand what was going on.

“Ella—”

“Shut your mouth!” Zane thundered

Mrs. Cole fell silent, but only for a short moment.Her gaze flicked to me, and she smiled. It was a winning grin as if she had figured something out.

But I didn’t care because the sudden mention of Ella made me suspicious.

“You didn’t tell her?”

Zane’s body trembled with suppressed rage.

My instincts screamed that the situation was about to spiral out of control.So, I uncurled my fingers from Simon’s and placed my hand gently on Zane’s arm. “I’m leaving.”

He shook his head, but I forced a small, steady smile. “Sort this out. She’s your mother. I’ll call you later.”

Turning to Mrs. Cole, I calmly held her gaze, even though inside I was screaming.“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I’ll leave now.”

She gave me a satisfied nod, like I had done exactly what she expected me to do. But I didn’t care; I just wanted to leave.

Zane moved in front of the door. “I’ll take you home,” he hoarsely stated.

I flicked a glance toward his mother. Her expression had lost that winning smile, and she clicked her tongue, giving me a look that said she wanted to throw a thousand daggers at me.

Simon still watched on with sad eyes.

I pressed a hand to Zane’s chest.“We can talk later. I can get home by myself.”

Desperation flickered across his face.

I hated that I was walking away from him without knowing for certain what the hell was going on.But I knew… I just knew if I stayed, Mrs. Cole would rip me apart in front of Simon.

And Zane wouldn’t be able to stop her. Not because he couldn’t but because the fight was deeper than me. Older than me.

His world was a tangled web of power and manipulation, and I had stepped right into the center of it.

For a moment, I thought he might argue, but then his shoulders sagged. He let me go.“Amelia, I’ll call you later. I promise.”

I nodded, stepped out into the night air, and started walking away from his house, those people, and the awkward tension. Finally, I was able to breathe.

The second I shut the door to my room, I collapsed against it. My hands trembled, and my breath came out in uneven pants.

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