Cassie froze as though lightning had struck her where she stood. The air around her seemed to thicken, pressing against her chest until breathing felt deliberate rather than natural.
"Tristan… what's wrong?" she asked softly, her voice smaller than she intended.
She had never seen him like this, never seen that raw, barely restrained fury burning behind his eyes. For the first time since becoming his mother, she had no idea what she had done to earn that kind of anger from him, and the realization hurt more than she expected.
Pain flickered across Tristan's face, sharp and fleeting, before he turned away without a word. He moved quickly, almost running, disappearing down the hallway toward his room as if staying any longer would cause him to break.
Franklin stood there, unmov
