He sat across from me, elbows resting on his knees, fingers interlaced like a man holding his own sanity together. For the first time since I had known Roman Langston, he couldn’t meet my eyes. The silence between us was heavy… so thick that even the soft ticking of the wall clock sounded cruel.

I had no idea what he was about to say, but I could feel it. The air had shifted; something irreversible was coming.

“Roman,” I murmured softly, forcing a small smile. “You’re scaring me. ...