Brandon's POV
You know that feeling—
when your brain betrays the present and violently drags you back into the past.
It doesn't ask for permission.
It doesn't soften the blow.
One second you're breathing, laughing, pretending everything is fine.
The next, memories surge forward like a flood you didn't see coming, drowning you in moments you were never meant to witness. Scenes replaying over and over, sharper each time, crueler with every rewind. You keep wondering what you missed. What sign you ignored. What version of the truth you believed simply because it was easier than questioning it.
And then there's the rage.
The kind that doesn't explode right away.
The kind that sits heavy in your chest, tightening your veins, blurring your vision, making your whole body feel like it's vibrating under pressure.
That was exactly what hit me the moment I held Chloe's phone in my hands.
My entire body went still.
Not frozen—
restrained.
