THERESA
I’d spent my whole life under the weight of constant criticism and impossibly high expectations from my parents, never stopping to think how deeply it affected me. Of course I had stayed. It felt familiar.
My breath hitched. “I never even realized…”
Maybe that same crude judgment was what had drawn me to my ex in the first place—without me even recognizing it. It was why I felt so at ease around him, why his behavior hurt but never felt out of place.
I let out a deep breath. For the first time in months, the idea of forgiving myself felt possible. But I was too exhausted to unravel all the complex thoughts that had suddenly formed.
Instead, I glanced at Kolya and smiled faintly. “You still owe me an answer to a question.”
He raised his eyebrows but didn’t speak.
“What is the
