Alexander looked at Michael steadily. "I'm sure about my decision."
Michael pressed his lips together before asking the question that had been weighing on him.
"Do you love her?"
Alexander knew immediately that he meant Alicia.
For the first time that night, his expression faltered. He lowered his gaze slightly, as though even he did not know how to answer.
After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "I don't know if it's love."
He paused, then added, each word slower than the last,
"But I know I don't want to divorce her."
Michael said nothing.
Alexander's eyes drifted toward the dark window beside them. His reflection stared back at him—calm on the surface, unsettled underneath.
"Just thinking about her leaving," he continued quietly, "it feels like something inside me would be torn out."
Michael frowned. "Maybe you're only used to being married. Two years living together… habits form. Once you're single again, you'll move on."
Alexander remained silent.
