I walked away. He caugh

let me dr

o tired to argue. I just let h

t light, floral scent that was just her, still hung

assed. Th

ss?" Zane asked, graspi

es

. The tension

s is all my fault. All of it. Please... don't blame Jovi.

elief. "It always comes back to her, doesn't it? How

st," he said, as if tha

and quiet. "Friendship? When you were wi

the wheel. "That's a

s here to help you through it for months. We built a life, Zane." My voice shook, but my eyes

trying to hold two conflicting truths. "But... it's di

still

he perfumed air, unspoken

at the hotel, in the hallway. The flicker in his eyes-not love, n

otect her. That wants to put her before everything. She was always so fragile, so kind, so

ve. But to me, it all felt like a blade, cutting my heart pie

the

to work t

a and reached fo

" He swerved

oor final. I didn't look back. I stepped to the cur

?" the dr

ra Spire,

no home. There was o

e polished doors, my reflection stared back-a woman with

fell, the

chimed. The

ing to his assistant. He took o

woman in her fifties,

my cheek. I stared at the floo

to his assistant, his voice q

ence filled the space between us. I stared at the numbers,

ou alr

't cold. It wa

peak. I shook my head once

cheek. Something in his expression changed, a reminder of the hotel, the shared disast

'HOLD DOOR' button. The hum stopped. We were

he shifted, putting himself between me

. He stared at the d

even years ago. There and gone. Like

ce low. He was giving me something solid to focus on. "He's w

ion. It was a rop

raw data shows a significant efficiency gain th

in the boardroom in twelve minutes. You'll

data analyst. Harrington w

s eyes held mine, and I saw no pi

st. The person who isn't afraid of th

d mine. Calm

ing whether I could

whether I intended

udden, sharp focus. He hadn't patted my shoulder, but he'd g

y voice firming

The elevator hummed back to life. As the doors opene

nutes, Ms.

leaving me in

the brass no longer showed a crying wife, but a wo

years making me feel

an five minutes remindi

the boardroom wi

uldn't pro

uld prote