She exhales, holding back her breath.
"You're exaggerating."
I shake my head.
"No. I'm being honest."
I lean forward slightly.
"I don't like seeing you like this with another man."
She holds my gaze.
"He's not 'another man,' Ethan. He's my business partner."
And there… something inside me tenses even more.
"He's still a man."
Silence, heavy, dense.
"If it were the other way around…" I say, more quietly, but with more weight. "If it were Vanessa I was hugging…"
I see her react… Right there, in that exact second.
"Would you like it?"
She doesn't answer.
"Would you think it's normal?"
I persist.
"Would it be enough for me to say 'it's work'?"
I clench my jaw.
"For God's sake, Clara… you'd be upset."
My voice barely rises.
"You'd be uncomfortable. Inse
