TANGLED BONDS

chapter 4: Last Days

Ella pov

We were going to the orphanage so I didn't need to do too much.

I picked out a simple top and jeans and stared at myself in the mirror for longer than I should have. I didn't have a perfect body — nothing about me was particularly striking or remarkable. I was just Ella.

Meanwhile Alex would show up looking effortlessly handsome without even trying. He always did. It was honestly unfair.

I rolled my eyes at my own reflection.

"Stop it," I told myself.

I grabbed my bag and headed downstairs.

While applying my sunscreen my phone buzzed.

"Hey pumpkin, I'm outside. Are you ready?"

I smiled at the nickname he had called me since we were kids.

"Yes I'm done. I'm waiting."

"Dad I'm going out!" I called toward his home office.

"Alright dear, enjoy your time!" he yelled back, buried in his work as always.

I stepped outside and immediately felt his stare.

Alex was leaning against his car looking — of course — completely effortless. Dark jacket, simple jeans, not a single thing out of place.

"What?" I asked.

"You look stunning," he said quietly.

"Thank you," I said shyly looking away before he could see my face.

Sometimes the way he looked at me made me think he had feelings for me. But I didn't want to get my hopes up. I had done that before and talked myself out of it every single time.

We got into the car and he started the engine.

"We should stop and get things for the kids first," he said.

"Yes definitely. But what do we get them?"

"You know the kids better than I do."

"Okay — fruits, books, snacks and some toys?"

"Perfect. Let's go."

Inside the store I quickly learned that shopping with Alex was a whole experience. Every time I picked something up and placed it in the cart he would add more without blinking. I selected one box of biscuits — he added three. I picked up a small set of crayons — he grabbed five different ones.

"Alex we don't need that many—"

"Yes we do," he said simply, already moving to the next aisle.

I laughed and shook my head.

His phone rang suddenly. He glanced at the screen and his expression shifted immediately.

"Give me a minute." He handed me his credit card without even thinking about it. "Can you finish up and pay? I need to take this."

"Sure," I said taking the card.

I paid for everything and wheeled the cart outside. That's when I heard him.

He was standing a few feet away, back turned, voice low but sharp.

"I told you to always keep a watch. Always. I won't take any risks concerning her — do you understand me?"

I froze.

Concerning her?

I strained to hear more but he must have sensed me because he turned slightly. I cleared my throat and smiled.

He shifted and lowered his voice even further, finishing the call quickly.

When he walked back his whole mood had changed. The easy warmth from earlier was gone, replaced by something tighter. More controlled.

"Alex are you okay? Is something wrong?"

"No." He took his card back and managed a small smile. "You don't have to worry your little head. It was just a business proposal — a client messed up. Nothing serious."

I looked at him.

He looked back.

We both knew he was lying.

But I let it go.

For now.

The moment we walked through the orphanage gates the kids came running.

Their faces lit up when they saw the bags we were carrying and within seconds Alex was surrounded — children climbing on him, grabbing his hands, shouting his name. He laughed and let them pull him in every direction, distributing toys and snacks with that easy generosity that came so naturally to him.

I stood back and watched.

My chest felt heavy.

This was my last time coming here.

"Ella!"

I turned. The director was walking toward me with a warm smile, arms open.

"Director! How have you been?"

"I'm good! It's been a while since you two showed up." She looked around then back at me with a knowing smile. "Where is Alex? Or should I say — your possessive boyfriend?"

I laughed. "He is not my boyfriend. Just friends."

"I hope so," she said with a mysterious little smile that I didn't quite understand.

"Director!" Alex appeared beside me suddenly. His voice was warm but his expression was unreadable. "How have you been?"

"Good, good. Great to see you." She smiled at him. "How is Al — I mean, your dad? Give him my regards."

Something passed between them. Quick. Almost invisible.

Alex nodded slowly. "He's fine. I'll pass the message."

I looked between them both.

There it was again. That feeling. Like everyone around me was reading from a script I had never been given.

I shook it off and went to find the kids.

I found a quiet moment with the director while Alex was still playing with the kids.

"I have something to tell you," I said.

She looked at me.

"I'm leaving for Florida. This is my last visit."

Her smile faded slowly. Something crossed her face — something deeper than just sadness. Like she understood the weight of what I was saying in a way I didn't fully understand myself.

"Oh Ella," she said softly pulling me into a hug. "We will miss you so much."

The children somehow overheard.

Within seconds I was surrounded.

"Ella is leaving?" A little girl named Mia tugged my sleeve with wide eyes.

"You can't go!" Another boy crossed his arms firmly.

I laughed even though my eyes were burning.

"I'll visit when I can. I promise."

Alex had gone quiet. I could feel him watching from across the yard. He had grown up coming here — his family had supported this place for years. Though they lived far from the main city, secluded and private in ways I had never questioned before, they had always made sure these children had everything they needed.

I had never thought to ask why.

Why a wealthy family so removed from everyone else cared so deeply about a small orphanage in the city.

I was starting to collect these questions like pieces of a puzzle I didn't know I was building.

The director caught my eye over the children's heads.

She gave me a long quiet look.

Then she smiled — small and knowing.

"Take care of yourself in Florida, Ella," she said carefully. "And stay close to people you trust."

I didn't know why those words felt like a warning.

But they did.

Saying goodbye to the children was harder than I expected.

They gathered around me one by one — some hugging my legs, some holding my hands, little Mia refusing to let go of my jacket.

"Will you come back?" she asked looking up at me with those big honest eyes.

I crouched down to her level.

"I will try my best. I promise."

She studied my face seriously the way only children can — like they can see straight through every polite answer to find the real one underneath.

Then she wrapped her arms around my neck and held on tight.

I hugged her back and blinked fast.

One by one they said goodbye. Some loud and dramatic, some quiet and shy. A boy named Kofi shook my hand very formally like a tiny businessman which made everyone laugh through their tears.

Alex stood slightly apart watching it all. When I finally looked at him his expression was unreadable but his eyes said everything.

The director walked us to the gate.

"Come back whenever you can," she said squeezing my hand.

Her eyes moved briefly to Alex.

Something passed between them.

Then we were outside and the gate closed behind us and the sounds of the children faded slowly into the evening air.

I didn't trust myself to speak.

Neither did Alex.

We walked to the car in silence.

Some goodbyes don't need words.

The drive home was quiet.

Not uncomfortable quiet. Our kind of quiet — the kind that had existed between us since we were children. The kind that didn't need filling.

But tonight it felt heavier than usual.

I watched the streetlights pass through the window and thought about Mia's face. The director's warning. Alex's phone call. All the pieces I kept collecting and couldn't make sense of.

Alex pulled up outside my house and turned off the engine.

Neither of us moved.

"Hey," he said finally.

I turned to look at him.

"Whatever happens in Florida—" he stopped. Started again. "Just promise me you'll be careful. Okay?"

"Careful?" I smiled slightly. "Alex it's a new city not a war zone."

He didn't smile back.

"Promise me Ella."

Something in his voice made me stop joking.

"I promise," I said quietly.

He nodded and got out to open my door — because of course he did. He walked me to the front step and stood there hands in his pockets.

The porch light was on. The street was quiet.

He looked at me for a long moment. Something moved behind his eyes — something big and unspoken that came right to the surface and then disappeared again like he swallowed it back down.

"Goodnight pumpkin," he said softly.

"Goodnight Alex."

I went inside.

And stood with my back against the door in the dark hallway.

My heart was doing something strange and stupid.

I pressed my hand against my chest.

Just friends, I reminded myself.

Just friends.

But why didn't it feel that way anymore?