Alessandro's POV
I paced restlessly, the plush carpet muffling the sound of my footsteps, the silence broken only by Illyana’s soft, shallow breaths from the sofa where she lay, her face pale against the crimson cushions, her body still and fragile beneath the thin blanket.
I stopped pacing and stood by the window, looking out at the city below, the bustling streets a stark contrast to the suffocating silence of the room, the vibrant energy of life a mockery of the death that had brushed so close to us.
Guilt gnawed at me, a relentless, corrosive acid. I should never have left her alone. I should have known Luke wouldn’t hesitate, that he’d target her. My hand instinctively went to the gun holstered beneath my jacket, the cold metal a small comfort against the burning rage that coursed
