Page 20 of The Yoga Teacher

But what was he supposed to do?

Go running after her? Cry in the street? Grovel?

No.

No, he should give her time. She’d seen something upsetting, that was all. It had shocked her. She was emotional right now, but Hannahknew him. She knew what they had.

This wasn’t important.

It was justfucking.

It wasn’t their marriage.

His throat felt tight, but he rolled his shoulders back, shaking off the strange, suffocating feeling creeping in at the edges. It was just the adrenaline crash, nothing more.

He’d go home soon.

They’d talk.

She’d get over it.

She had to.

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The house was dark when Daniel stepped inside.

He shut the door behind him, the quiet pressed around him like a weight. Normally, there was something—Hannah humming absentmindedly in the kitchen, the sound of water running from the sink, the distant buzz of the TV.

Tonight, there was nothing.

His stomach knotted as he stepped further into the house, his feet dragging slightly against the hardwood. Maybe she was in the bedroom. Maybe she’d just needed time to cool off, and now they could actually talk.Shecould talk, andhecould explain—

His steps faltered.

There, on the kitchen counter, catching the faint glow of the streetlights filtering through the window—

Her wedding ring.

For a moment, he just stood there, staring at it.

The sight of it physically jarred him. As if some part of his brain couldn’t fully process what he was looking at.

No.

She couldn’t. Shewouldn’t.

His feet carried him forward before he could think. His fingers curled around the ring, lifting it off the counter.

He clenched his jaw, gripping the small band between his fingers.

A harsh breath left his lips.

Daniel turned toward the stairs, pushing down the sick feeling rising in his throat. Maybe she’d just… maybe she’d needed a second. A moment to breathe.

He needed to see her. They needed totalk.

His steps were too quick as he made his way upstairs, the ring still burning in his hand.

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