The silence that hung in the air after my mother left felt heavy, like a door closing that I hadn’t even realized was open. My heart still thudded painfully in my chest, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t the end of the conversation. She would be back—whether I liked it or not.
But there was something different now. Alexander was with me. I wasn’t alone in facing her, or whatever this new storm might bring. And as I stood there in the quiet aftermath, the weight of it all, the past, the uncertainties, began to shift. I didn’t feel as small anymore. I didn’t feel like I had to keep running from the things that once haunted me.
When I turned to Alexander, I found him watching me with that familiar, steady gaze, his hand already reaching for mine, pulling me toward him. His touch was the reassurance I didn’t know I needed, and I leaned into it, allowing the comfort to seep into my bones.
“You’re okay,” he said softly, as if he could feel the storm still brewing inside me.
