Zoe's POV
I froze.
Not outwardly—not in any way Brandon could see—but somewhere deep inside me, something locked tight, like a door slamming shut before I could stop it. My mind began to spiral immediately, thoughts colliding, overlapping, tripping over each other in a rush I couldn't slow down.
This wasn't the direction of truth I was expecting.
Not this.
I was left with no words.
There was no way I could have guessed something like this.
Elizabeth.
The name sat heavy between us, dense and unsettling, like it carried its own gravity. I searched Brandon's face as he spoke, really looking at him now. His shoulders were tense, drawn slightly inward as though he was bracing for impact. His jaw flexed, teeth pressing together between words, and his eyes—usually so sure, so expressive—kept flickering away from mine, then back again, as if he was afraid of what he might see reflected there.
He looked… vulnerable.
Exposed.
