Alexander’s POV
The knock rattled my door once. Firm. Deliberate.
I froze mid-step, my chest tightening as though someone had wrapped an iron band around my ribs.
For a heartbeat, I thought it was Sonia.
That thought alone was enough to still my breath. I pictured her standing outside, hair mussed from sleep, eyes wide, clutching her cardigan tight around her shoulders. I imagined her whispering my name, asking if I couldn’t sleep either, if maybe she wasn’t the only one haunted by shadows.
But when I opened the door, it wasn’t Sonia.
It was Hayley.
Her figure was framed by the hallway’s pale glow, robe tied loosely around her waist, hair falling in waves like the years had never passed. Her expression was unreadable, calm in that deliberate way that always hid calculation.
“Alexan
