The next day at school, Nora couldn’t stop thinking about the bracelet. She needed answers.

“Hey, have you seen Alex today?” Nora asked Chloe at lunch.

Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Alex? Ivy’s ex? Yeah, I saw him by the lake last night. Some people say he’s been acting weird since Ivy disappeared. You think he knows something?”

“I don’t know,” Nora muttered, her mind working. Alex had been Ivy’s boyfriend for almost a year before they broke up. He seemed off, but could he be involved in her disappearance?

Nora decided to find out.

She found him sitting alone outside, his usual dark hoodie pulled low over his face.

“Alex,” she called softly.

He looked up, and for a moment, their eyes locked. Then he looked away. “What do you want, Nora?”

“I need to know where Ivy is,” she said, her voice firm. “People are talking, and I have a right to know the truth. You saw her last night, didn’t you?”

Alex hesitated, his gaze darting away. “I don’t know where she is, okay?” His tone was defensive, but there was something in his eyes—a flicker of fear.

Nora noticed it. He’s lying. She looked down at his hand. He was wearing a ring—the same symbol as the one on Ivy’s bracelet.

“Where did you get that ring, Alex?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

“What’s it to you?” he snapped, his face darkening. “Stay out of this, Nora. Trust me, you don’t want to know.”

Nora’s stomach churned as she stepped back. “What are you hiding, Alex?”

He stood abruptly, slamming his fist into the wall. “I said, stay out of it!”

With that, he walked away, leaving Nora with more questions than answers.