“I need to talk to you,” I say.
She shakes her head slightly. “You already said enough.”
“I said the wrong things.”
Silence stretches between us.
She doesn’t slam the door.
That’s something.
“Please,” I add, my voice breaking on the word.
She steps back slowly.
I walk in.
The apartment smells like her. Clean. Warm. Safe.
And I realize how close I came to losing this forever.
She crosses her arms, putting distance between us.
“You humiliated me,” she says quietly.
I don’t argue.
“I know.”
“You made me feel like I was nothing.”
“I know.”
Her jaw tightens. “Then why did you do it?”
I step closer, but not too close.
“Because I thought I was protecting you.”
She laughs bitterly. “By destroying me?”
“Yes,” I say honestly.
That stops her.
“I sat in a room with your brother, Coach, and Susan,” I continue. “They told me loving you was killing your career. That if I really loved you, I’d walk away.”
Her face shifts.
“They said you’d lose everything first. That the league would tear you apart.”
“So you decided for me?” she demands.
“Yes,” I say, hating myself for it. “And I was wrong.”
Tears well in her eyes.
“You don’t get to choose what’s best for me without me,” she whispers.
