ROMAN'S POV

“And what’s it to you?” Lauren’s voice suddenly cut through the thick tension between Ethan and me like a blade.

Her tone wasn’t raised, but it had that unmistakable edge, calm yet dangerous, the kind of calm that only came when someone was holding back a storm. Ethan turned sharply, his full attention snapping to her.

I stood there watching, jaw clenched, arms folded tightly across my chest. The air around us felt heavy, charged like one wrong word could set off an ...