Elina’s POV

The silence was worse than yelling.

It pressed down on the room like a thick fog, suffocating and heavy. The air felt stagnant, as if even oxygen had stopped flowing. I could hear my own heartbeat — fast, uneven, painful — like it was trying to escape from beneath my ribs.

Ryan stood at the doorway, unmoving. His body was rigid, his shoulders squared in a way that screamed tension. His eyes darted between Isaac and me, flickering with something unreadable ...