WESLEY
I left Natalia’s apartment with my heart still racing and my mind in complete chaos. The door clicked shut behind me, and I stood in the hallway for a long moment, staring at the floor. Her scent was still on my clothes. Her voice saying my name in that soft, shocked whisper kept repeating in my head. I had come to China to escape her, to build something new without the lies and the pain. One phone call from Paul and one video of a dead cat had pulled me right back. I walked down the stairs and out into the night air, trying to breathe normally. My hands were still shaking a little from holding her. From stopping her from falling. From feeling her pregnant belly press against me for those few seconds.
The drive to the hotel felt longer than it should have. The city lights blurred
