Zoe's POV
The moment I saw the color drain from Brandon's face when his father walked through the front door, something inside me sank.
Not softly.
Not slowly.
It dropped like a stone thrown into deep water.
I suddenly felt like an alien dropped into a planet I didn't understand. Standing there in the middle of the Ross living room felt strangely wrong, like I was watching a scene from a movie where everyone had memorized their lines except me.
I didn't belong in it.
I knew immediately that it wasn't going to end well.
The air shifted.
I couldn't explain it, but I felt it.
Tension moved through the room like invisible smoke, filling every corner until breathing itself suddenly felt difficult.
And somehow Seth chose that exact moment to make things even more dramatic.
"Dad!"
His voice cracked with excitement.
Before anyone could even react, he was already halfway down the stairs, nearly tripping over himself.
I stared.
