I stared absentmindedly at my computer screen, the flickering cursor mocking my lack of productivity. My thoughts kept reversing back to Eric’s behavior from yesterday—the cold, calculated way he’d dismantled Eleanor until she ran away like she’d seen a ghost. I’d seen him angry before, but that? That was a different beast. It was a predator asserting dominance without even raising his voice.
I ran my hand through my hair, a habit I’d been repeating all morning until my scalp felt raw. One thing was for sure: I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of that particular brand of fury.
But even as the fear prickled at my skin, a deeper, more jagged resentment was taking root. I was already contemplating this entire marriage. Yes, I loved him—God help me, I did—but I was never going to play
