Zavian's POV

I knew something was wrong the second I stepped into the house.

Velvet didn’t look at me. Not once. She just sat there on the couch with books in her lap, pretending the world outside those pages didn’t exist. Pretending I didn’t exist.

I tried to stay composed, tried to draw breath without feeling frustrated, but the moment our eyes met, no, the moment she refused to meet mine, I felt every muscle in my body tighten.

“Velvet,” I said, voice steady, low, controlled. “What’s wrong with you? What is happening?”

No answer.

She stared at her hands as if they were suddenly more interesting than anything else....