Elena didn’t move away when Alexander stepped closer. She kept the sweater in her hands like a shield, the open suitcase still between them on the bed.
“You can’t just break into my apartment and decide I don’t get to leave,” she said. Her voice was tired, but it didn’t shake. “You don’t own my decisions, Alexander. No matter how many times you say I belong to you.”
“I know I don’t own your decisions.” The admission sounded like it cost him. “That doesn’t change the fact that the second I read that resignation I felt something I have never allowed myself to feel. I don’t lose control. I don’t chase people across the city. I don’t break down doors. And yet here I am.”
Elena let out a quiet, humorless breath. “So this is new for you. Congratulations. It’s not new for me to feel disposable
