Davina's POV
The silence that followed my refusal was heavy, suffocating.
I stood there, chest heaving, glaring at Chase. He looked torn, his jaw set in that stubborn line I knew so well, but his eyes held a desperate plea for me to be reasonable.
But I couldn't be reasonable. Not when it came to Cooper.
"Fine," Chase breathed out, running a hand down his face. "We'll figure something else out. But you need to calm down."
I opened my mouth to argue, but a sudden, chilling realization clamped my throat shut.
The house was too quiet.
The background noise—the faint hum of the TV, the thud of a toy car hitting the floorboards—it was gone.
My heart skipped a beat.
"Cooper?" I called out, turning toward the hallway.
Silence.
"Cooper!" I screamed his name this time, panic exploding in my chest like a grenade.
I didn't wait for Chase. I bolted down the hallway, my socks slipping on the hardwood. I threw open the door to the bedroom.
Empty.
