Sophia’s POV
The silence didn’t fade.
It lingered.
Like smoke that refused to clear.
I was still standing there, my thoughts tangled, my chest tight, when Colton’s phone buzzed again.
This time…
It wasn’t loud.
Just a vibration.
But in that moment, it sounded like resolution.
He glanced at the screen.
And something shifted.
Not tension.
Not anger.
Something… sharper.
More controlled.
He answered immediately.
“No speaker this time,” he said low, stepping a little away, but not far enough to leave me out completely.
“Yes?” he said.
A pause.
Then…
“Good.”
Another pause.
His eyes flickered briefly toward me.
Softening.
“Effective immediately?”
A beat.
“Perfect.”
My heart started beating faster.
“Make sure it’s enforced,” he added, voice calm but carrying that quiet
