Mila's mind registered the words coming out of Isabelle's mouth before her body could actually respond to them.
She understood what had happened, but it was more abstract. The water. The deliberate delivery. The careful timing that had ensured she would drink it before Dante could notice anything was wrong.
Her head felt like it was a balloon with words bouncing around, but she understood one main idea... This wasn't accidental. Isabelle didn't think she was doing anything wrong.
It was intentional... and it was going to get a lot worse.
But Mila didn't panic.
One thing she'd learned early was that panic solved nothing. It wasted energy she couldn't afford to lose and dulled the clarity she needed to understand what was happening. So she kept her breathing steady and focused on the woman in front of her, cataloging every detail with the same precision she'd used to survive worse.
