Ava’s POV
Elson pulled the car seat back, giving me more space to stretch out. Exhaustion hit me like a surging wave the moment I settled in. My body ached, my legs throbbed, and my lower back burned as though I’d been carrying bricks for hours. Even my vision blurred, swimming in and out of focus, and heat prickled at the back of my neck despite the cool air inside the car.
The ride was silent but thick with unspoken questions. I could practically feel them radiating from Elson like hot steam. But he didn’t say a word… yet. Instead, his fingers tightened around the wheel ever so often, as if wrestling with a decision to ask or not. Or maybe he was still fuming about Aiden. I would understand if that was the case because even I was upset with the whole turn of events.
I turned my head t
