They argued as if the walls themselves were listening.

“You don’t get to decide what I trust,” Ethan said, his voice low but shaking, every word dragged up from somewhere raw. “Not after everything I’ve done for you.”

Alyssa stood across the room, arms crossed, her expression carved from steel. “And that’s exactly the problem,” she snapped back. “You think sacrifice buys ownership.”

“That’s not what I—”

“It is,” she cut in sharply. “Every move you make, every secret you bury, you tell yourself it’s for me. But you never ask what it costs me.”

Silence slammed between them.

The city lights bled through the tall windows, painting harsh lines...