RIVAL’S POV
The house was too quiet.
For two days we’d filled it with noise — dumb arguments, takeout boxes, his constant running mouth. But that night? Silence pressed down so heavy it made my ribs ache worse than any bruise.
I should’ve known it wouldn’t last.
The phone rang.
Not just any ring. That sound was sharp, cold, and I felt it in my bones before I even picked it up. My stomach dropped, and Thomas froze mid-step in the hallway, his eyes snapping to me like he already knew.
I let it ring twice before I grabbed it and kept the distance cause I expected him to scream.
“Rival,” Samuel’s voice slithered through the receiver, smooth and venomous. “You’ve been voted in.”
I didn’t answer. My fingers tightened around the phone until my knuckles burned.
“A majority,” he went on, s
