Alice

He’s scared. I can see it. He doesn’t say it outright, but it’s there—in the way his breathing falters, in how his gaze briefly slips away before he speaks. That’s where I read his fear. And even so, I already know where he’s heading.

Truth is, I was genuinely scared when he said we should end the contract. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to be. Every part of me resisted the idea, even the ones that knew I should stay calm.

I kept thinking—after what happened last night, after waking up tangled together, naked, messy, but real—why would he suddenly want that? Why would he want to cut...