cleared away the evidence of my outburst, just as she erased any trace of emotion from he

of this... arrangement," I said

r coffee, her expression

et' s define the parameters. I need to know what' s real and what' s part of the act. I need honesty, Sophia. At least a

. You know that. I can' t just

even if it' s just on paper. My life, my home, my work are all entangled in this. I have a right to know when you' re going to

ly. "I will be more... transparent. I will inform you if a situation directly involves you or your work. But

to smile at him, to let him hold y

aze steady and unwavering. "My feelings don' t ente

"Because I' m the one who has to live with the man who

ng. A look of alarm crossed Sophia' s fac

ecting someon

She went to the door, and I followed a few step

dressed in a casual but expensive-looking jacket, and a charming, easy

ting." His eyes flicked past her to me, and his smile widened, but it didn' t reach his eyes. "And

and then back at his face. I didn'

for a fraction of a s

ning. She turned to Liam, forcing a bright, welcomi

e, making it feel smaller, more suffocating. He handed the f

k you," she said, her

ll open from the night before. "Sophia told me you' re an astrophysicist. Chasing aliens and whatnot. Must be fascina

ated than that," I

his full attention back to Sophia, his back partially to me. "We

agreed to dinner with him? After our fi

her features back into a calm mask. "Of course,

s not," I said, stepping forward. "S

ight, Sophia? Did you forget you had plans with your husband?"

arting between me and Liam. "Eth

insisted, my control slipping. "You

ne. She was defending him. In my own house, she was taking his side aga

her jealous, controlling husband. But to me, it was just a repeat of a decade of being made to feel small, of being shoved aside for him. I felt a wave of profound helplessness wa

ly and utterly alone, trapped in a lie that was suffocating me. I turned and walked away, hea