Elsa’s POV
The door closes behind Ryan and Amelia with a soft but final thud, the faint click of the latch sounding louder than it should in the thick silence that follows, and I feel the air in the study shift, heavy with the storm that lingers between Alex and me, a storm that has been building since the moment his eyes met mine in the entrance hall, fury blazing in them like fire, and though my hands still tremble from the tray that slipped from my fingers, though my heart still hammers from the shock of seeing him again, it is not fear that coils in my chest now, but anger, sharp and hot, the kind of anger that has festered quietly for far too long.
I do not sit as Amelia had wanted us to. Instead, I remain standing, my back straight, my chin high, because I will not appear small bef
