Alexander’s POV
Then comes the hardest part.
I have to face Sonia.
She’s in her room, curled up on the couch, wrapped in a blanket.
Her eyes still swollen.
Her face pale.
Her hands fidgeting without her noticing.
She looks up at me when I enter.
Not afraid.
Just… tired.
Fragile in a way she tries to hide.
“Alexander?” she whispers.
I kneel in front of her before she can finish.
Gently take her shaking hands into mine.
“You’re safe,” I say softly.
My voice breaks on the last word.
Her lips tremble.
“I know,” she whispers.
But she doesn’t.
I can see it.
I stroke her knuckles, careful, reverent.
“I wasn’t there.”
It’s a confession I can barely speak.
“It’s not your fault,” she says.
But it feels like it is.
It feels like the worst failure of my life.
“I’m going to fi
