ELENA’S POV
The door clicked shut behind Aiden, and I finally let go of the breath I’d been holding—ragged and uneven, as if it had been clawing its way up my throat for hours. My hands clenched at my sides, nails digging into my palms hard enough to leave little half-moons.
The sharp sting was a relief, something real to focus on. Without it, I might have drowned in the mess of emotions swirling inside me. Anger, sharp and hot. Grief, heavy and suffocating. Resentment, cold and unyielding. They twisted together, pulling me under.
I was back.
Back in the house I’d sworn I’d never step foot in again. Back under the same roof as the man who’d shattered me. The air was thick with his scent—a scent that used to comfort me. Now, it felt like a betrayal, as if the walls themselves we
