The moment you stepped into the apartment, the tension was thick enough to choke on. Natasha stood by the window, her back turned to you, her body rigid as if she’d been waiting for you. And in truth, she probably had. You swallowed hard, knowing this wasn’t going to be a pleasant conversation, knowing how badly this fight was about to go.

“Natasha,” you called softly, but your voice felt small, like it didn’t belong in the same room as her anymore.

She didn’t turn around, didn’t even flinch at the sound of your voice. That only made the knot in your stomach tighten. You took a few steps closer, heart pounding, knowing that once you started speaking, you couldn’t take anything back.

Tears stung at the back of your eyes, but you fought them back, refusing to let them fall. You didn’t have the right to cry. Not after everything you’d put her through. Not after the lies, the mistakes, the constant back and forth of your relationship. You had hurt her, over and over again, and now the consequences were staring you in the face.

“You make me feel like I’m losing my mind,” Natasha said, her voice cracking slightly, and it broke something inside of you. “Like I can’t breathe without you, but I can’t keep doing this anymore. I can’t keep stitching myself back together every time you rip me open.”

Her words echoed in your head, and you felt the pain of them sink deep into your chest. You had known that things between you were falling apart, but hearing her say it like this, seeing the hurt in her eyes, made it all too real.