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I leave the classroom on unsteady legs. By the time I reach the parking lot, my hands are trembling.

Levi threatened my teacher. With a knife.

I slide into the car and sit there. I’m furious. He’s crossed a line. Who does that?

I need to talk to him about this.

I pull my phone from my purse, but I just stare at the screen. Not yet. Theo has been looking forward to the dance for weeks, and I refuse to ruin tonight for him. Levi can wait.

But I can’t believe he did this. No matter how protective he thought he was being, you can’t threaten people.

I check my messages and see a missed call from Finn. I call him back, but it goes straight to voicemail.

“Hi, sweetie,” I say, trying to sound warm and normal even though my body still feels unsettled. “Sorry I missed you. I’m a little busy tonight. I, um…” I let out a small, nervous laugh. “I have a boyfriend now. His name is Levi. And his little brother has a school dance this evening, so I’m chaperoning at Alton Elementary.”

I pause, pressing my lips together.

“Things have changed very quickly lately,” I say. “But everything’s good. Really good. I hope you’re doing well. Call me when you can. Love you.”

I hang up and sit there for another moment, phone still in my hand.

I probably shouldn’t have told Finn like that, but he’s going to find out soon enough. I’m still trying to come to terms with it myself. I have a boyfriend now—a very intense, very complicated one who apparently pulls knives on teachers when he thinks they’ve been unfair to me.

I close my eyes for a second, shake my head, start the car, and head home with my mind full of everything I still need to unpack with Levi.

Diane arrives just after I get home, a bottle of prosecco in one hand and her oversized makeup bag in the other.

“Emergency glam squad reporting for duty,” she announces, grinning as she steps inside.

I laugh. “It’s a kids’ school dance, Di. Not a gala.”

“Doesn’t matter. You’re getting the full treatment.” She winks. “Besides, I needed an excuse to open this.”

We set up in my bedroom with music playing softly. I slip into my robe while Diane pops the prosecco and pours us each a generous glass.

“First things first,” I say, clinking my glass against hers. “Congratulations on the promotion. I’m so happy for you.”

We laugh easily as she starts on my makeup, keeping it soft and natural with just a hint of shimmer on the eyes. While she curls my hair, I tell her about Fifi’s slow morning and how Levi is her official babysitter for the day. Diane’s smile softens. She meets my eyes in the mirror, her expression turning playfully knowing.

“So,” she says. “Boyfriend.”

“I know.” I look down at my hands, smiling. “He grows on you.”

“Like mold?”

“Like something slightly more appealing than mold,” I say, lifting my gaze to hers in the mirror. “He’s different now. Or maybe he was always like this and I just couldn’t see past that first terrible impression.”

I think of Levi this morning—scowling at Fifi as he checked the latch on her carrier, muttering that she looked like something dug up behind a church, then carefully adjusting the blanket.

“He makes me happy,” I say quietly.

Diane’s teasing expression fades into something warmer. “Then I’m glad. That’s all I care about.”

Her words settle in my chest, but they also pull my thoughts toward Grace. I might not fully understand her choice, and I still can’t wrap my head around Drew or the life he came from. But I haven’t really tried, have I? I’ve been so afraid for her that I forgot to listen to what she’s actually telling me.

She’s happy. He takes care of her. Maybe that should matter more than his past.

“You okay?” Diane asks softly.