I ARRIVED AT MY BEACH HOUSE EXPECTING PEACE-YILUX

pause him, to give the moment the space it needed.

“This isn’t punishment,” I said, meeting his eyes again, making sure he understood that what I was doing wasn’t about anger, but about something deeper.

“This is me choosing where I stand,” I continued, and I could see the shift in his expression as the meaning settled in.

He looked around the room, at continue reading …