The cold hit me the moment I stepped onto the sidewalk.

Chicago in March made heartbreak feel physical. The wind cut through my coat, my skin, whatever fragile structure had kept me upright for the last twenty minutes. I made it halfway to the corner before my knees weakened.

Daniel caught up but kept a respectful distance.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

I stared at the passing traffic. “Which part?”

He gave a hollow laugh. “Take your pick.”

For a while, we said nothing. Cars passed. Somewhere behind us, a siren rose and faded. Through the restaurant windows, I could still see movement—staff, guests, shadows shifting in agitation. Andrew was probably still arguing. Men like him always believed disaster was negotiable.

Daniel finally spoke. “I didn’t stop you because I wanted a scene. I stopped you because I’d already seen how this goes wrong.”

I looked at him.

“Three weeks ago, I confronted Vanessa too early,” he said. “She cried, apologized, swore it was over. Then the next morning she moved money out of our joint account and deleted half her messages.” He exhaled slowly. “This time I wanted facts first.”

That hit harder than anything else that night.