The drive to Eve’s father’s house stretched like a punishment. Ryan sat in the passenger seat, his body taut with a tension Tevin could feel radiating off him. The car was quiet except for the steady hum of the engine, the world passing by in muted blurs of gray.
Ryan didn’t speak. His jaw was locked, eyes fixed on the road ahead as though sheer force of will could prepare him for what was coming. He hated the idea of standing in that man’s house, of lowering himself to ask anything from the source of everything that had poisoned his life. But if Eve had gone there, if there was even a chance, then he would endure it.
When they pulled into the narrow street, Tevin cut the engine. Ryan stared at the modest house, its chipped paint and sagging porch railings. This was where Eve had come fr
