Isabella's POV
The clock ticked louder than it had any right to, each sound drilling into my already frayed nerves. Alex hadn’t called or texted in hours, and the weight of that silence pressed down on me like a stone. I paced my apartment, wringing my hands. A million questions swirled in my mind. Where was he? Why hadn’t he reached out? And why did my heart feel like it was splintering into pieces?
The knock at the door startled me so much I nearly tripped over my own feet. My breath caught in my throat as I approached cautiously, peering through the peephole. Relief and confusion tangled together when I saw Alex standing there.
His hair was disheveled, and his usually sharp suit looked slightly wrinkled, as though he’d been wearing it for too long. His expression was unreadable, but
