Alexander:
Shopping the next day felt nothing like the first.
I noticed everything.
Reflections in glass.
People standing too still.
The way Alessia’s steps lagged half a beat behind mine, her hand never quite leaving her stomach.
She smiled when she needed to. Laughed when expected. But it didn’t reach her eyes.
And that annoyed me more than anything else that could have happened.
She picked up a small blanket, ran her fingers over it, then set it back like it weighed a thousand pounds. Her scent shifted again, unease, restraint, fear she was swallowing instead of voicing.
Enough.
“Stop,” I said, sharper than I intended. “This is going to have to f*****g stop.”
She froze, blinking up at me. “What? Did I do something wrong?”
“This,” I snapped, lowering my voice but not the int
