Alice’s POV
I reached up, cupped his cheek, and leaned my forehead gently against his.
“Then let’s lose together,” I whispered, my voice barely more than breath. “Let’s lose and fight and cry and survive. Just don’t shut me out, Brian. Please.”
He closed his eyes for a second, like the weight of my words pressed against something in his chest. Then he shook his head.
“Alice… I don’t want to willingly put myself through that again,” he said, his voice low and tight, like he was holding everything back with the last thread of control he had left.
I sat beside him, folding my legs beneath me, watching him with all the quiet strength I could muster. “Why can’t you visit her now?” I asked gently.
He looked down, his hands knotted together. “It’s not that I haven’t tried. I’ve driven to th
