Elena's POV
The doctor finally releases us with care instructions and a prescription for children's pain medication.
Julian is asleep in my arms, his sprained wrist wrapped in a blue bandage that makes him look so vulnerable.
Alexander insists on driving us home, the silence in the car is suffocating.
I stare out the window watching the city lights blur past while holding Julian close.
Julian wakes up halfway home, groggy and confused.
"Mama? Is Daddy mad?"
"No baby," I soothe, stroking his curls.
"Daddy's not mad."
"Why doesn't Daddy live with us?" Julian asks with a child's brutal honesty.
"He's always gone."
Alexander's hands tighten on the steering wheel, his knuckles going white.
"Daddy lives with us sweetheart," I say carefully.
"He just works a lot, very important work
