The car stops.
No words. No glances. Nothing passes between us. Just the soft grind of tires against gravel, the quiet click of the engine dying—and then silence. A silence so thick it feels like something solid, something that could be cut open.
I step out.
Behind me, Silas steps out too. His head hangs low, chin tucked toward his chest, like he's trying to fold himself into something smaller. Something invisible. He doesn't look at me. Doesn't make a sound. Just follows.
The door opens with a soft click.
I step inside my house—the house that used to be mine alone, before they decided otherwise.
My face is calm. Composed. A mask I've worn for so long it feels permanent. But inside—
Inside, I'm not calm.
Their cheap pheromones. Their cheap smiles. Enough to piss me off.
My jaw tightens.
I hate being dragged into their filth. I hate that I had to lower myself to their level… just to pull him out.
And him.
Silas follows. Silent. Broken.
