The message from Sophie had been brief, but the urgency was undeniable. We need to talk. It’s urgent.
I stared at the screen, the words refusing to settle in my mind. I didn’t like the tone of her message. Sophie wasn’t one to sound alarmed unless something had gone wrong. I felt a cold knot form in my stomach. But no matter the tension, no matter the unease gnawing at me, I turned to Alexander. He was beside me, just as calm as ever, and his presence was a balm to the disquiet spreading inside me.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, his voice full of concern, his hand reaching for mine, grounding me.
I showed him the message, the brief words making the air between us grow heavier. He read it once, then a second time, his brow furrowing in thought. “Something’s wrong,” he said, the certainty in his tone a sharp contrast to the doubt twisting in my chest.
“I don’t know what it is,” I replied, trying to steady my voice. “But I feel like we’re on the verge of something big. Something that
