The car was already waiting at the curb when they stepped out of the building. Alexander opened the rear door for her the way he always did, hand still resting at the small of her back. Elena stopped on the sidewalk.
“I’m going home,” she said.
He looked at her. “The penthouse is home right now.”
“No.” Her voice was quiet but steady. “My place. The studio. I need… I need space tonight.”
Something flickered across his face—surprise, then a tighter control. “Elena.”
“Please.” She stepped back so his hand fell away. “The medical news, Victoria, everything you said in that office—I can’t sort it out while I’m in your bed with your hands on me. I need to be alone.”
For a long moment he didn’t move. The city noise filled the space between them. Finally he gave a short nod to the driver.
“
