23.1

“Would you take a breath and let me—”

“No,” I snap, though I regret it when his eyes bulge. He’s breathing hard, barely controlling himself, and all it took was being questioned. Something as simple as that, and he’s ready to explode in rage.

Backing away toward the door, I make up my mind. “I’m signing the lease on that apartment tomorrow. This was all a mistake.”

“Caterina.” He throws his hands into the air, hands I’m afraid of again. He was stalking me. “What? You thought I was going to let you live just anywhere? If you’re this determined to live on your own, I could afford a much nicer place in a guarded building. I followed you from work, big deal. You can’t expect me to sit back and let you march into trouble.”

This isn’t the first time I’ve imagined living in a cage, is it? I didn’t realize how right I was.

Now, I see it all. “You’re just as bad as my father. Trying to control every part of my life.” It’s hard to breathe once the full weight of this sits on my chest. I’ve exch