I swallowed hard, his unexpected gentleness catching me off guard. "I’m used to his cruelty," I said bitterly, the familiar sting of David’s manipulations cutting deep, even now.
"That doesn’t mean you have to keep letting it hurt you," Alexander said firmly. "There’s no point torturing yourself with his anger. But... that’s not the only reason I called."
I frowned, curiosity sparking in me. "What do you mean?"
There was a tension in the silence that followed, something unspoken hovering between us. When he spoke again, his voice was lower, more serious than I had ever heard him before. "It’s been long enough, hasn’t it?"
My heart pounded. "Long enough for what?"
"I can’t sit by and let him drag your name through the mud any longer," Alexander growled, anger simmering b
