POV: Violet
The quiet was worse than screaming.
At least screaming meant there was passion, fire, something to cling to. But the silence in our apartment felt like drowning in invisible waters heavy, suffocating, relentless.
Ryan had been home for hours, yet it was as though he wasn’t here at all. He sat on the far end of the couch, scrolling through his phone without looking at me once. His jaw was tight, his knuckles pale around the device. Every muscle in his body screamed tension.
I sat curled up on the opposite end, my knees tucked under my chin. My throat felt raw from unshed words.
“RayRay…” I whispered, the nickname slipping past my lips like a prayer.
For a split second, his eyes flicked up gold flashing in the dim light. That familiar spark I loved so much. But then his gaz
