FAYE
I didn’t know what startled me more—the weight of Helen’s words or the sound of the door opening at that exact moment.
“You are the only one who can give him that advantage, Faye.”
My heart thudded hard against my ribs, and before I could even piece together what exactly she meant, the door clicked, swung open, and Alexander stepped inside.
He looked worn, sweat darkening the collar of his shirt from the long meeting, his sleeves rolled halfway, his hair damp at the edges. He was the picture of someone carrying the weight of a whole kingdom on his shoulders. But the moment his eyes fell on us...and more specifically on his mother...the exhaustion burned off, replaced by tension.
He had caught enough of Helen’s words. I knew it the moment his gaze narrowed, hard, pinning both of
