Giovanni POV

The silence broke me long before Gray ever said a word.

He stood there, leaning against the desk, arms folded, his eyes unreadable. And I—standing in the middle of the room like an intruder in my own life—waited for something. Anything. A sigh. A whisper. A question. Anger. Relief.

But nothing came.

My throat tightened. My heart pulsed painfully in my chest. I swallowed and forced myself to breathe, even though something in me was unraveling with every second he remained ...