Todd’s POV
My voice came out softer than I intended. “That was the first time someone left me behind. I was just a kid, but that feeling… I’ll never forget it.”
The memory cracked something inside me. I felt that old confusion and terror creeping back—like I’d done something terrible without knowing what, and still had to face the consequences.
I kept going, needing her to understand. "The second time was when I first arrived at the King house. Denzel did it—the guy who’d promised to be my friend.
"I think he meant it at first, saw me as a real brother. But his mother despised me, and eventually, so did he. He would’ve loved shoving me into that pool himself, watching me drown.
“For years after, I couldn’t even look at water.”
Something shifted in my chest as I remembered Denzel’s face that day. I gripped Sallie’s hand tighter. "Denzel’s dangerous, Sallie. Not just because the King family backs him, but because he’s vicious.
