The next morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a muted glow across the room as I slowly woke up. My body ached from the weight of last night’s conversation. The words I’d said to Cross still echoed in my mind, but I couldn’t afford to linger on them. I couldn’t afford to think about him.
Not today.
I pulled myself out of bed, my feet cold against the floorboards. The bathroom was quiet, a small sanctuary where I could escape my thoughts for a few minutes. The water from the shower was almost too hot, but it didn’t matter. I let it sting my skin, hoping it would numb the tightness in my chest.
The confrontation with Cross still hung in the air like smoke. He apologized, but the apologies didn’t change anything. They never had. I wasn’t the woman who could be swayed by word
