"Why are you always with him?"
Madison's question hung in the evening air like a challenge thrown down at Maya's feet, impossible to ignore and dangerous to answer honestly.
Madison's perfume was sharp and cloying as she pressed against Ethan's side with practiced precision, every curve of her body strategically positioned to remind everyone present exactly who held the power in this particular dynamic. Her eyes never left Maya's face, studying reactions with the focus of a scientist cataloguing data.
She's been watching. For how long? What has she seen?
The words were delivered in honey-sweet tones that Madison had probably perfected in front of mirrors, but the meaning underneath was a blade aimed directly at Maya's throat. This wasn't casual curiosity—this was territorial investigation disguised as girlfriend concern.
