Hailey POV
I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady. “Say what you want to say and stop playing games.”
Vanessa sighed dramatically, like I was the one wasting her time. “You really don’t see it, do you? You’re surrounded by people who claim to protect you, but you never stop to ask who benefits the most from staying close.”
My chest tightened. “If this is another one of your sick attempts to mess with my head, it won’t work.”
“Oh, it already is,” she replied calmly. “I just thought you deserved a heads-up before things get ugly.”
“Ugly?” I scoffed. “My life has been ugly since the day you decided to insert yourself into it.”
She laughed again, low and sharp. “You’re stronger than you think, Hailey. That’s why this will hurt even more.”
The call ended before I could respon
