Lena’s POV

I told myself I wasn’t going to go for the godforsaken dinner plan he was making. I said that out loud in my room, standing in front of the mirror with my arms folded across my chest, as if hearing it say it to myself like that would be more convincing even though I told him I was going to be there.

I didn’t want to show up there because I didn’t want to sit across from him, pretending everything was fine, or give him the comfort of thinking that showing up with a speech ...