198Stella.I sat across from Alex, watching the lines of tension etched into his face, the rigid set of his shoulders that never seemed to relax, not even in moments of supposed safety. The house was quiet, the twins asleep in their room, and the city outside seemed oblivious to the storm gathering in our lives. Finally, after days of pacing, hidden phones, and cryptic messages, he told me. He admitted the truth, the one he had carried alone, and that admission felt heavier than any burden I had ever borne.“Stella,” he began, his voice low, measured. “There’s more to Eleanor’s death than we were ever told. The crash—it wasn’t an accident.”I blinked, and for a moment, the air itself seemed to constrict around me. The world paused. I had known that Alex had been investigating in secret, had sensed the tension in his glances and the weight behind his decisions, but hearing the words spoken aloud, in the quiet of our home, sent a jolt straight through my chest.“What do you mean it was
Read more