56. The Breaking Point
Mara
The morning light in the cheap motel room felt too harsh, too real. I lay in Zander’s arms after the morning s*x, my head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart while my own twisted painfully. Last night had been everything. It had been passionate, healing and desperate. For a few stolen hours I had let myself forget the impossible position I was in. But now, with the sun climbing higher, the weight of my choices pressed down on me until I could barely breathe.
On one side was Zander. The man I loved with every piece of my soul. The man who had risked his entire world for me. Being with him felt like freedom and fire and home all at once. I couldn’t imagine my life without his quiet strength, the way he looked at me like I was his reason for
