Meryl's POV
The silence inside the car felt suffocating. Each breath I took seemed too loud, too shaky. Andre's grip on the steering wheel was so fierce his knuckles had gone completely white. His jaw remained clenched in a way that made me think he might shatter his teeth.
He hadn't spoken a single word since we left the hotel.
My stomach twisted when I recognized the familiar streets. We were heading to the house Gavin and I used to call home. The place that somehow no longer belonged to us.
Andre parked abruptly in front of the driveway. He stepped out without so much as a glance in my direction. I remained frozen in my seat, hugging myself tightly as if my arms could shield me from whatever storm was brewing.
Through the windshield, I watched him march to the trunk and begin hauling out our belongings. My suitcases, Gavin's clothes, everything we had packed in our rushed escape. He moved with mechanical precision, like a soldier executing orders.
