Knox:
The second I walked in, I knew something was off.
The city buzzed outside, loud and bright like always, but inside her apartment, everything was too still. No music, no hum from the old heater, no rustle from her usual pacing in the kitchen. Just that tight, oppressive quiet that makes your skin prickle.
I shut the door behind me with a quiet click, my boots heavy on the floor as I stepped further inside.
“Viv?” I called out gently, even though my gut already told me not to expect much of an answer.
She didn’t call out from the kitchen like she usually would. No snarky greeting. No soft laugh. Just silence.
My duffel hit the floor beside the couch, and I walked toward the hallway. The bedroom door was cracked open. The bathroom light spilled out in a thin line across the wood f
