Chapter 49: The Knock at Dusk
(Isabella's POV)
"Fine." Clara said as she walked out of the room without looking back.
The door slammed so hard the frame rattled, and for a few seconds, I just stood there, staring at it, feeling the echo of Clara's anger vibrate in my chest. My heart was still thudding from the argument. The silence that followed was suffocating thick, heavy, filled with all the words we hadn't meant to say but said anyway.
I turned toward the door, instinctively wanting to go after her. "I should..."
"Don't," Yvette interrupted sharply.
I looked at her. She was still standing near her desk, arms folded tight across her chest. Her face was calm, but her eyes weren't...they flickered with restrained frustration, the kind that comes after you've held in too much for too long.
"She's being unreasonable," Yvette said flatly. "You didn't do anything wrong, Isa."
"But she's upset," I said, my voice quieter than I intended. "I can't just let her walk away like that."
