Sonia’s POV
For a long moment, I didn’t speak.
I just stood there with my forehead pressed against his chest, feeling the heavy rise and fall of his breathing, the warmth of him seeping through the cold air, the way his arms held me like he was afraid I’d slip away if he loosened even a little.
My fingers curled into the front of his shirt.
I didn’t plan it.
It just happened, like my body was reaching for him on its own, without asking me for permission.
I swallowed, my cheek brushing lightly over the fabric of his button-down.
“Alexander…” I whispered again, softer this time, like I needed to test how his name felt on my tongue when I wasn’t angry or hurt.
His arms tightened a fraction.
“I’m here,” he murmured against my hair.
“Please don’t walk away from me like that,” I said,
