DAXTON POV
The tension in my chest was unbearable. My mind raced with all the worst-case scenarios, each one darker than the last. I couldn’t deal with it—*we couldn’t deal with it*. Not without her. Not without Maria. I kept telling myself that we were doing the right thing, that we were sticking to the plan. But God, the weight of it all was suffocating.
“Dax, stay calm,” Henry’s voice broke through the haze of my thoughts, sharp and insistent. I glanced over at him, his eyes glued to the road but his grip tight on the steering wheel. I knew he was just as unsettled as I was. *Probably more.*
“We’re good,” I muttered, even though I didn’t believe it. Not really. “We’re sticking to the plan. It’ll work.”
Henry didn’t respond immediately, but I could feel the tension rolling off him.
