Nikolai Pov
I watched her from the doorway, the corner of my mouth tugging up without permission. Alex was sitting on the grass, surrounded by the kids, their laughter blending with hers like some kind of melody that softened the edges of the day. She looked... alive. Her cheeks were flushed with color, her eyes brighter than they’d been in weeks.
God, I loved seeing her like this.
It was a stark contrast to how she’d been in that hospital bed. Keeping her there had been torture—for both of us. The sterile walls, the constant hum of machines—it sucked the life out of her. Seeing her here, surrounded by innocence and warmth, made me wonder if I’d done something right for once.
“You’ve been quiet for a while,” Antonio said, dragging me out of my thoughts.
I sighed and leaned back agains
