**Gavin’s POV**
The silence hanging over the living room was thick, heavy, and utterly suffocating.
I sat back on the leather sofa, every muscle in my body pulled taut like a bowstring. Across from us, Max was staring. He looked at Natalie, then his eyes flicked slowly over to me, burning with an intense, agonizing hesitation. We had been best friends for years. I knew the man like a brother; I knew every single look that crossed his face. Right now, he looked like he was fighting against himself, struggling to contain something clawing its way up his throat.
*What do you want to say, Max?*
The question repeated silently in my mind, a frantic, echoing loop. I could see the internal battle warring behind his eyes. He was holding back. He desperately wanted to spill whatever truth was si
