Noah POV

I make it to my room before either of them can intercept me, which buys me approximately four minutes before the door opens.

My mother comes in first. Diane is right behind her, and Thomas—Diane's husband, Zoe's father—follows a half-step after, quiet in the doorway with his arms at his sides and the watchful expression of a man who has learned to observe before he commits to anything.

"You've completely lost your mind," my mother says. "Standing in that ...