** Poppy’s POV **

I mull over Ronnie’s words. Even though I’d already started piecing it together, hearing the words spoken aloud lands hard.

Collides… like we’re something dangerous and unstable. As if we’re the problem.

My stomach twists. “So what? We just… stay away from each other?”

Ronnie’s gaze hardens slightly. “For now? Yes.”

“That’s not a solution,” I snap, heat flaring under my skin. “That’s avoidance.”

“It’s containment,” he corrects ...