#Chapter 16: Acting Lessons

Ella

The soft hum of my ceiling fan was the only sound accompanying my thoughts. As I lay in bed, the silky sheets enveloping me, a sense of strange relaxation washed over me. I should have felt agitated, furious even. But there was a tranquility I couldn’t understand.

I let that jerk into my life, I chided myself.

But even as I mentally berated myself, I couldn’t help the smile that crept onto my face. My phone vibrated on my nightstand, breaking my introspection. A glance revealed Moana’s name on the screen.

“I heard you got your first case!” Moana’s chirpy voice rang through the phone. We might have been mother and daughter, but in moments like these, she was just like a giddy school friend.

“Yeah,” I hesitated. The truth would be too much for her to handle. “It’s just a problem with a bad tenant. The client wanted to keep things confidential.”

A laugh. “Always the mysterious ones, huh? Well, as long as you're safe and doing what you love.”

I swallowed hard, guilt gnawing at me. If