Ethan’s grip tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles ached. Jake’s voice still echoed in his ear, cold and final: “You come anywhere near this house and I swear I’ll call the cops. She’s grounded. She’s off-limits. End of story.”
The threat landed like another punch to the jaw. Cops. His best friend — former best friend — was willing to get the police involved. Mia was locked away in that house because of him, and now Jake was treating her like a criminal instead of his own sister. The thought made Ethan’s bruised jaw throb harder.
He sat in the truck two streets away, staring at the distant roofline of the house, heart hammering. For the first time in his life, he had zero control. He couldn’t barge in. He couldn’t call Mia. He couldn’t even fix this the way he always fixed e
