Rejected, Then Wanted by My Triplet Alphas
I had heard Ruth lie skillfully before, across three years of protecting me through danger after danger, but something in the sheer, effortless conviction of this particular performance struck me as almost frightening in its perfection, a skill honed across decades of protecting far more than simply this one hidden family.
"I have a photograph," the stranger said, and I heard the faint rustle of paper. "Perhaps this will help."
A long, tense silence followed, and I imagined Ruth studying whatever image the stranger had produced, her expression, I was certain, carefully arranged into thoughtful, genuine consideration.
"I'm sorry," Ruth said finally, her voice steady and unbothered. "I really