EMORY'S POV
Ever since Sylvie arrived, home no longer felt like my sanctuary. The past few days had been a blur of awkward encounters and simmering tension, with me trapped helplessly at the storm's center.
Meal times were the worst. Sylvie and Dad often ended up arguing over things that didn't matter, escalating from passive-aggressive remarks to outright shouting. And there I sat, trapped, with no escape in sight. I started using homework as an excuse to leave the table early or to skip meals entirely.
School became my refuge, the one place where I could escape the suffocating atmosphere at home. I lingered in the library long after the final bell, pretending to immerse myself in schoolwork or group projects. Mornings followed the same pattern. I left the house earlier than necessary,
