Emma POV

The visiting room smelled of antiseptic and cold metal. The walls were bare, the chairs hard, but nothing felt colder than the pit in my stomach as I stepped toward Ethan. Adrian walked beside me, his hand brushing mine lightly, trying to steady me, but it did little to calm the storm inside. My heart pounded, guilt and fear twisting together.

Ethan didn’t stand. He watched, eyes sharp and piercing, every inch of him taut like a wire ready to snap. I wanted to speak, to explain, ...