The name felt strange to say. She rarely spoke it aloud these days. "He had very traditional ideas about family," she continued. "He'd grown up with a stay-at-home mother, and that was the way he thought it should be. And honestly, I loved those early years with Miguel. Being there for every milestone, watching him grow."
Elena smiled faintly at the memories. Miguel's first steps, his fascination with insects, the way he'd demand ‘one more story’ every night with big, pleading eyes.
"But I felt myself... disappearing," she admitted. "Little by little. I told myself I’d stay on top of research developments, keep up with developments in the field. I tried to read journals, stay up to date with colleagues. But everything started feeling farther and farther away. Eventually, I barely recognized myself.”
She shifted again, relaxing as the words flowed more freely. "Mateo was supportive in his way. He'd watch Miguel so I could go to an occasional conference. But there was always this underlying expectation that his career came first. That my career was the disposable part of the equation. Maybe I could have eventually made peace with it, found some kind of balance that worked for all of us. But then I found out about the affair."
Finn went very still beside her.
"All those months I was at home, sacrificing my career to be the perfect wife and mother. He was with her. Sometimes they'd meet right after work, before he came home to us.” Elena was surprised to find her voice steady. The pain of the betrayal had dulled over time. She glanced at Finn and found him looking at her with an intensity that made her heart beat a little faster.
"When I confronted him, he didn't even try to deny it," she continued. "He said he'd fallen in love with her, that he wanted a divorce. Three months later, they moved to Boston. Miguel and I stayed here."
She drained the last of her beer, setting the empty bottle on the coffee table. "After he left, I threw myself back into research. Probably too far in that direction. I was determined to rebuild everything I'd given up, to never depend on anyone else again."
Her eyes found Finn's in the dim light. "But sometimes I wonder if I over-corrected.” When she finished, her voice cracked. “If I've become so focused on proving myself professionally that I'm not present enough for Miguel."
Elena felt lighter, having shared this piece of herself with him. The story of her divorce wasn't a happy one, but it had shaped her in ways both good and bad.
Finn was quiet for a long moment after she finished. Then he stood, reached for her hand, and pulled her up with him. Before she could ask what he was doing, his arms were around her. He wrapped her up in a fierce hug. Elena pressed her face against his shoulder and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.
“You deserved so much better,” Finn whispered.
Elena had told herself the same thing a thousand times, but she didn’t always truly believe it. But hearing someone else say it, hearinghimsay it—made her believe it. “Thank you,” she whispered back.
They stayed like that a moment longer. Then Elena pulled back just enough to look up at him. Finn’s eyes dropped to her mouth for just a second. Elena closed the distance and kissed him. Finn was still for a moment, surprised. Then his hand came to her jaw, and he kissed her back. It wasn’t gentle. It wasdesperate, like he’d been holding back and just couldn’t anymore.
Elena’s fingers fisted in his shirt, pulling him closer. Finn’s other hand tightened on her hip. They stumbled back toward the couch and Finn fell onto the sofa. Elena followed, straddling him, intent to not let the kiss stop for even a second. His hands were everywhere. She could feel how much he wanted this. How much he wanted her.
Elena pulled back just enough to catch her breath. She tugged at Finn’s shirt, pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side. Then she did the same with hers.
“Elena—”
She kissed him again, silencing whatever he was about to say. She didn’t want him to think. Didn’t want either of them to think. She just wanted this.
But Finn pulled back and held her at arm’s length. “Wait,” he said, breathing hard. “Elena, wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
His expression was torn. “I can’t… I can’t be the reason your life falls apart.”
That was the last thing she expected him to say in this moment. “What?”
Finn’s hand came to her face, brushing her cheek. “You’ve sacrificed so much for your career, for Miguel. What if being with me puts all of that at risk?”
She stared at him. All her life, people had made decisions for her. Not anymore. “I am the one that gets to decide that.”
Elena didn’t give him time to respond. She pushed him back against the couch, her palms flat against his chest, feeling his heart beating hard beneath her fingers.
She sank to her knees in front of him.
Something shifted in his expression, a mixture of relief and lust. Her hands found his belt. She watched his face as sheworked, savoring the anticipation building in him as he tried to stay still. This was hers. Her moment, her man, her choice.
When she freed him and took him in her mouth, the sound he made was worth everything. It was raw and unguarded, his restraint falling apart.
She set a rhythm, paying attention to what made his breathing change, what made his fingers tighten in her hair. He wasn’t directing her, he was just trying to hold on. “I’ve wanted this for so long.” The words came out rough.
Elena pulled back just enough to look up at him. “How long?”
