Chapter 112: Cracks Beneath the Surface
The silence after the storm was never truly quiet.
It only felt that way because the noise had shifted elsewhere.
Into screens. Into whispers. Into conversations happening behind closed doors.
Scarlett stood by the window again that night, the city glowing beneath her like nothing had changed.
But everything had.
---
Her phone buzzed continuously on the table behind her.
She had stopped checking it an hour ago.
Not because she was afraid.
But because she already knew what it would say.
---
"They are still talking about you."
Amanda's voice came from the couch, softer than usual as she scrolled through her own phone.
Scarlett did not turn.
"I know."
Amanda hesitated. "It is not all bad."
Scarlett smiled faintly. "It was never going to be all good."
---
A pause.
Then Amanda added carefully,
"Some people believe you."
Scarlett closed her eyes for a brief second.
"That is enough."
---
