I take a few deep breaths, then enter my office.
Adrian stands inside, his hands folded neatly in front of him, posture calm in the way men like him get when they're trying not to explode. He looks the same as always in his expensive dress shirt, sharp eyes, and controlled breath. Yet there's also something different. He isn't scanning the room like he's measuring threats. He's waiting.
I gesture toward the chair across from my desk. "Please have a seat."
He hesitates, then sits.
I remain standing, arms crossed, leaning against the hutch, my body angled just enough to remind him that whatever power he thinks he has doesn't apply here.
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. The silence stretches. It's the kind meant to make the other person crack first.
"I owe you an apology," Adrian says finally.
It's so unexpected that I almost laugh, yet I hold it in. I deadpan, "You owe me more than that."
He nods once. "I know."
I pull my chair out and sit, my eyes never leaving his. "Now that we're past that, what else would you like to discuss?"
His jaw tightens. He looks down at his hands like he's not used to needing words for anything. He fumbles, "I didn't know. Not really. Except I need to make things right with Blue."
A familiar heat coils in my chest, anger rising fast and sharp. "And you came here to tell me you're sorry for the violence and want my help?"
"I know," he cuts in, raising a hand. "I know it was wrong, and I didn't have any right to go there with you. I just..."
I wait.
He looks away, and his nostrils flare as he takes several inhales. Then he looks back at me. "I didn't know how badly she was hurting herself. I didn't know it had gone on so long. I didn't know that when she said she was fine, it wasn't because she was strong, it was because she was hiding."
My hands curl into fists at my sides. Since Blue told her mom and there's no more patient confidentiality to worry about, I speak freely. "She's been hiding her struggles her whole life."
Pain flickers across his face so harshly that I cringe inside. He admits, "I didn't know. If I had, I would have..." He shakes his head and closes his eyes. When he opens them, they're glistening. "Hell, I don't know what I would have done, but Skylar and I would have done something to try and help her."
The admission hangs between us, fragile and dangerous.
His jaw twitches, and he adds, "I didn't know about the stalking. Not the truth of it. I thought… I thought Brax was interested in her. I never believed him when he insisted he wasn't. And then I assumed you took advantage of her, but Skylar told me what she did to Brax and you."
I laugh under my breath, bitter. "Yeah. Blue doesn't take no for an answer. I get the feeling she gets it from you."
The corners of his mouth curve. "Maybe."
"She was drowning," I assert.
His smile falls. "Yes. I now understand."
Silence explodes again.
Vulnerability lights up his expression. He asks, "Why does she stalk men? I don't understand it. She's a beautiful, talented woman. Tons of guys would want to date her."
My pulse ticks upward. I explain, "Yes. I agree. But stalking behaviors can feel likesurvivalto someone whose nervous system equates distance with danger. She fears abandonment intensely and seeks constant reassurance that a connection is real. And for Blue, she needs someone who doesn't disappear when she shows her worst parts."
He swallows hard. He asks, "And you? You don't want to run from her?"
"No. I love her, and there's nothing you can do to make me stop loving her," I insist, and reach into my chest pocket. My fingers brush the familiar weight. The ring feels heavier now than it did this morning, like it knows what's coming. I pull it out but keep it in my fist.
Adrian continues, "I didn't come here to convince you not to love her or fight. I came because my wife made me listen. And because Blue made it clear that if I didn't change…I would lose her."
I nod. "Yes. She meant it."
