The heavy silence that had fallen when Ivy stepped into the room thickened like a blanket of fog.
Ruby sat frozen, the air around her buzzing like static. Her fingers, still locked in Stefan's, trembled ever so slightly. Ivy stood tall and poised—her silver dress glinting under the recessed lights, her lashes already glistening with tears, her way to get Mr Rogers on her side.
She had arrived prepared.
Mr. Rogers's sharp eyes flickered between the two sisters—so alike, yet so divided—and finally settled on Ivy. His voice was calm, but there was weight in it, enough to cut through air.
"Ivy," he said carefully, "is it true what they've told me? That everything you said in that video was a lie… that you were the one who ran away before the wedding? I want to know the truth and if truly you love Stefan as you claim to, be truthful. I'll look for a way to find out if you lied today."
Ivy's reaction was instantaneous despite the underlying threat in Mr Rogers's voice.
