The door clicked shut behind Sophie and Liam, leaving us alone once again. The silence that followed felt different this time, like a weight had been lifted, like something had finally settled. Alexander stood beside me, his hand still firmly holding mine, grounding me in the present as I felt the distant echoes of the past slowly fade into the background.
I exhaled, my chest tight, but there was a sense of peace now—something I hadn't realized I was craving. We had faced my father, his coldness, his manipulation, and come out the other side not broken, but stronger. We had faced our fears together, and in that moment, there was no doubt in my heart.
I turned to Alexander, meeting his eyes, and for a second, everything else disappeared. The looming threats, the challenges, the chaos—they all seemed so far away in the quiet of this moment.
"We're doing this, aren't we?" I asked softly, my voice thick with emotion.
He nodded, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "We are," he
