Maya's POV
The moment they walked through the door looking like they'd just attended a funeral service, I knew something was terribly wrong. My father's face was etched with despair, my brother Cole paced like a wild animal trapped in a cage, my sister-in-law wore that fake smile she always reserved for family emergencies, and Damon—sweet Damon—looked like a child who had just been told Santa wasn't real.
Something was definitely wrong.
Chloe had left earlier after spending the afternoon with me. We'd laughed until our sides hurt, watched classic films, devoured ice cream and cookies, and I'd even opened up about things I normally kept locked away. When Owen and Lana arrived later, they'd tried their best to distract me, making my recent troubles seem distant. But they too had quietly slipped away, leaving just my family, Damon, and me alone with this heavy silence.
"Out with it," I demanded, eyeing them seriously. "What's going on?"
