CLARA
He turned on his heel and marched out, the heavy door swinging shut with such lethal force it could have easily undone the hinges.
I stood there, stunned.
The silence returned, but this time it was heavier. I felt lonely in a way I hadn't felt in years. Julian didn't love me; he didn't even like me. That was nothing new. I was more like a prop in his theater of power. And he had just told me, in no uncertain terms, that I was a failure as a woman because I didn't "track" my body well enough for his schedule.
Even if it had been a made-up lie, it still hurt as hell.
Angry heat flared in my chest, burning through the fear I'd earlier felt. Julian wanted a real woman? He wanted someone who wasn't fragile?
I grabbed a paper towel, wiped the smudge from under my eye, and stood t
