Though I'd projected confidence before Ivan, I knew this was no minor misunderstanding. This was the first crisis in our relationship, and I wasn't certain we could survive it.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Anna
The next two days, the atmosphere in the manor was cold as ice.
Alexander and I put on forced smiles around Sofia, but in private we were like strangers. He'd moved to the guest room, and aside from necessary exchanges, we barely spoke. Every night, listening to footsteps from the study, I tossed and turned in that massive bed, replaying that evening over and over—Tatyana and him in intimate conversation, those glittering sapphire earrings.
Sofia was a perceptive child. Despite our efforts to hide it, she sensed the tension between us, and it frightened her. She walked on eggshells around us, those beautiful big eyes filled with confusion and anxiety.
On the third morning at breakfast, I finally reached my breaking point.
I set down my fork, trying to keep my voice steady. "I'm going back to work at the paper."
Alexander's hand froze mid-cut through Sofia's pancakes. His expression darkened instantly.
"No," he said flatly. "It's not safe out there."
"I can't be trapped here forever," I argued. "I have a career, my work needs me."
"Your safety is more important than your job."
"This isn't protection, this is imprisonment!" My voice rose despite my efforts to control it.
Sofia looked at us fearfully, her small hands gripping her fork tightly.
"Mommy, Alex, please don't fight..." she whispered.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay calm. "Sofia, go play. Mommy and Alex need to discuss some grown-up matters."
Sofia was coaxed away by the housekeeper, looking back every few steps.
Once Sofia left, our argument escalated.
"I need to work, Alexander. I'm not your caged canary!"
"This is to protect you—"
"Protect?" I nearly laughed. "You call this protection? Letting me waste away here, destroying my career, turning me into some useless ornament?"
My voice kept rising. Three days of suppressed anger, hurt, and that suffocating sense of desperation all erupted at once.
"I know you want to protect me, but I need my life!" I slammed my hand on the table, making the dishes clatter. "I've been here a week. My colleagues are waiting, my stories are waiting, my whole life is waiting! And I'm stuck here like dead weight in this luxurious prison!"
Alexander was stunned by my sudden outburst. He stood to comfort me, but I stepped back.
"You don't understand!" Tears began to flow. "I spent five years building my career. I can't throw it all away because of some threats! I'm not the kind of woman who needs to be supported by a man!"
"Anna—"
"No!" I cut him off. "Let me finish! I appreciate your protection, but I can't lose myself because of it. If I can't work, can't be myself, then what's the point of living?"
My voice trembled, but anger made me fearless:
"I won't be your accessory! I won't be treated like some weaklingwho needs protecting! I'm Anna Parker, I'm a journalist, I have my own worth and dignity!"
Alexander watched me quietly, shock and other complex emotions I couldn't read flickering in his eyes.
