The burials had already taken place, and Ella felt grateful that everything had ended well, despite the deaths of her brother and her father-in-law. She couldn't feel guilt or remorse about their deaths. After all, both had threatened to do something unthinkable, something no man should ever consider doing to a daughter-in-law or a sister.
For days, the faces of her brother and father-in-law lingered in her mind, and she also noticed the constant tension in Xavier. She noticed that he seemed afraid to touch her and feared being rejected. Ella was also frightened, but she had already learned to trust him. Yet, the words seemed caught in her throat, and she couldn't verbalize her thoughts or take the initiative. She knew she needed to forget the terror she had lived through and seek refuge
