Riley's POV

The silence stretched like a wire about to snap as Brett stood frozen between Victoria and me, his face a mask I couldn't read.

"Well?" Victoria's voice cut through the tension. "I'm waiting."

"This is ridiculous," Brett finally said, but his voice lacked its usual command. "You can't just walk into my home and make demands."

"Your home?" Victoria laughed, the sound sharp and bitter. "This was going to be our home, remember? Before you decided to play house with your little charity ...