NIKO.
“How dare you?”
The words tore out of me before I could soften them, before I could dress them up with reason or restraint. They came straight from the raw, aching place in my chest where jealousy and hurt had been festering for hours.
Alex turned slowly, her eyes flashing. “Excuse me?”
“How dare you do that behind my back,” I repeated, my voice low but shaking. “How dare you look me in the eye every day and pretend everything was fine?”
She laughed, sharp and humorless. “Oh, don’t start acting like a victim now, Niko.”
“Oh, so I am a victim now, Alex?” I snapped. “I am the victim, really? You let him back into your life. After everything. After what he did to you. After what he did to us.”
Her jaw tightened. “You don’t get to control who I talk to.”
“I’m not trying to contro
