“The universe,” I interrupted, “is a vast expanse of mostly empty space governed by physical laws that do not include breaking and entering.”
“I didn’t break anything. The doorman let me in.”
“That’s still entering!”
“But not breaking.”
I stared at her.
She stared back, completely serene.
My heart was still racing. My knee throbbed where I had hit the nightstand. I was standing in my bedroom, wrapped in sheets like some kind of deranged toga-wearing philosopher, arguing with a naked woman about the legal definition of breaking and entering.
This is my life now.
This is what I’ve become.
Dr. Julien Darcy, neurosurgeon, man of science, person who just screamed like a prepubescent girl because his spiritual chaos wife materialized in his bed.
“You can’t just...” I gestured helplessly. “You can’t just show up in someone’s apartment. In theirbed. Without permission.”
“But we’re married.”
“That doesn’t—” I stopped. Started again. “That doesn’t give you the right to—”
“Doesn’t it, though?” She tilted her head, genuinely curious. “I mean, isn’t that what marriage is? Sharing space? Sharing lives?”
“We’re notsharinganything. We’re getting an annulment.”
“The universe has other plans.”
“The universe,” I said, my voice rising despite my best efforts, “can take its plans and—”
I stopped.
Took a breath.
Control, Julien. Maintain control.
Except I couldn’t maintain control because my control had been systematically destroyed over the past forty-eight hours, and now the last bastion of my ordered existence, myhome, mysanctuary, had been invaded by a woman who thought cosmic destiny was a valid reason for home invasion.
“Athena,” I said, very carefully and very slowly. “I need you to understand something.”
“Okay.”
“This apartment is my space. Myprivatespace. The one place where I can…” I gestured vaguely. “Where I can exist without—”
“Without chaos?”
“Yes.”
“Without me?”
I opened my mouth.
Closed it.
Yes,I wanted to say.Yes, without you, without your cosmic destiny and your spiritual observations and your complete disregard for personal boundaries.
