Ethan POV

The moment Emma’s voice cracked, something inside me snapped.

Not anger.

Not yet.

Something worse.

Because I had heard fear in her voice before. Pain too. I had seen her shaking after nightmares, watched her try to stay strong while her whole world kept falling apart around her.

But this?

This was different.

This was heartbreak.

Real heartbreak.

And somehow it looked crueler than every bruise she had carried.

I stood at the doorway for one second too long, watching tears ...