My Great Escape Led Me to You (Emily Blair) novel Chapter 101

Still, the aftermath of what had happened was far beyond what Emily Blair had anticipated.

Between classes, the hallways buzzed with students whispering excitedly, their eyes darting toward her classroom.

Having brushed with death once before, Emily Blair wasn’t fazed by gossip. What worried her was whether people like Elizabeth Wilson might get caught up in the fallout.

After school, Emily made a point to catch up with Elizabeth, pulling alongside her and asking quietly, “Off to your part-time job again?”

Elizabeth shook her head. “No, just the one job. You saw how things went down.”

Emily eyed her with concern. “So what are you going to do next?”

With a careless grin, Elizabeth hoisted her empty backpack onto her shoulder. “What else can I do? Just take things one step at a time.”

Emily hesitated, about to say something more, but Elizabeth raised a hand to cut her off.

“Hey, don’t even start with the ‘I can lend you money’ thing. I’m not that desperate.”

Emily relented. “Alright, fine.”

It wasn’t until they walked out onto the street that Emily realized the rumors weren’t about her or Elizabeth at all.

They were about… Isabella Austin.

“Did you hear? Isabella Austin tried to set Emily Blair up, and Elizabeth Wilson got dragged into it too.”

“Yeah, I heard it was Isabella’s boyfriend, Sebastian. Supposedly, he tried to do something to Emily, but Elizabeth showed up with backup and stopped him.”

“No way! I thought Isabella Austin was supposed to be so nice.”

“Shows what you know. You never really know someone. I’ve always thought Isabella was a snake in the grass.”

“That’s what everyone online is saying too.”

“What about Andrew Lane? Didn’t he try to intervene? Emily Blair lived with the Lane family for years, after all.”

“Haven’t you heard—?”

“Wait, shh! Emily Blair’s right behind you. Drop it.”

Emily gripped her phone and shook her head. Elizabeth glanced at her screen and arched an eyebrow.

“Isn’t this a good thing? Why do you look so worried?”

Emily lowered her voice. “Something’s wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“When have you ever seen negative rumors about Isabella Austin stay online this long?”

Elizabeth was sharp; she caught on immediately.

“You’re right. Why is that?”

Emily didn’t have an answer—not even after she got home.

It wasn’t until Kevin Lane invited her over to the Lane Estate for dinner that she finally understood.