The phone call ended with the kind of silence that could suffocate you if you weren’t careful. The words Catherine had left hanging in the game had only just begun to echo in my head like a constant reminder that no matter how far we’d come, we weren’t truly out of the woods yet.
I stood there, staring at the phone in my hand, my heart pounding against my chest. I knew Alexander was watching me, his presence close enough to feel like a steadying force. His eyes never left mine as I exhaled a slow breath, trying to push away the lingering anxiety. I wanted to be angry, and I was angry. But more than that, I was tired. Tired of her games, tired of the constant threats, the fear that had become a part of us. It was supposed to be over. We were supposed to be celebrating, not looking over our shoulders.
Alexander’s hand gently brushed against mine, pulling me from my thoughts. “Leila,” he said softly, his voice steady despite the underlying tension. “We’re going to face this. Together.”
H
