(Damian)
I heard the zipper before I saw her.
I walked into the bedroom and saw her by the closet, tossing clothes into a bag.
“Alina,” I said quietly.
She didn’t look at me. “Don’t.”
“Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here.”
I took a step closer. “You’re not leaving. We have to get married.”
She finally looked at me. “Watch me.”
I ran a hand down my face. “Alina, please. Can we just talk?”
“We’ve talked, Damian. You don’t listen.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“You were trying to control me,” she shot back. “You don’t trust me to live my own life.”
“I do. I just… I don’t trust the world around you.”
She zipped the bag shut. “That’s not my problem.”
“It is now,” I said. “Because you’re with me.”
“Then maybe I shouldn’t be.”
That hit harder than it should have.
I steppe
