It was just the two of us in the room, with no staff, but total quietness.

" You take things really hard. I wonder why it's hard for you to let go".

I smiled faintly, like we were sharing a joke.

He was trying to tilt the story and I wasn't interested in stopping him.

"What exactly are you aiming at?" I asked

“We can’t keep doing this,” he said. “The tension. It’s not healthy.”

I nodded, slowly.

Of course, I didn't agree with him. But I wanted to wrap things up quickly.

"Yeah, Miriam” he continued, “It's exhausting"

I nodded again. "Yeah, it is."

He glanced at me; he...