Chapter 131 No Safe Haven

• I adjust my tie in the mirror, watching her reflection in the bed behind me. She lies curled on her side, silk sheets twisted around her waist, looking more fragile than I’ve ever seen her. Seeing her this way makes something in my chest tighten—the way her shoulders curve inward, how she keeps her eyes fixed on some distant point rather than watching me dress like she used to.
• You did this.
• The thought rises unbidden as I smooth invisible wrinkles from my suit jacket. Not so long ago, these morning routines carried a different weight. She would watch me with those eyes that made every burden worth carrying, every sacrifice worth making. Now she won’t even look at me.