I could feel the tension in the house, thick and suffocating. Every time I looked at Jaxon, it was like we were both walking on eggshells, barely holding it together. He was trying to shield me from the reality of it all, but Lauren's threats were growing more dangerous by the day, and it was only a matter of time before they would come crashing down on all of us.
We sat at the kitchen table, me half-staring at the cup of coffee in front of me, Jaxon tapping his fingers against the edge. I knew what he was thinking-he was worried. I could see it in the way his eyes kept darting to the door, like he expected Lauren to show up any minute.
I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up, Isabel," he said, his voice low, almost as if he was trying to keep the weight of the words from suffoc
