NIKO.
The silence between us was the kind that hurt. It wasn’t loud or angry, but heavy, weighted with everything I had said when fear had been driving instead of sense. Alex sat on the edge of the bed, shoulders drawn in, fingers twisting together in her lap. I stood a few feet away, watching the woman I loved look like she was bracing for impact, and it made something in my chest twist painfully.
“I’m sorry,” I said at last.
She looked up, eyes guarded. “For what?”
“For telling you to stay away,” I replied immediately. “For pushing you back when all I wanted—when all I’ve ever wanted—was you right here.”
Her lips parted slightly, surprise flickering across her face.
“That was the last thing I wanted for us,” I added, stepping closer. “I was scared. And instead of protecting us, I p
