Elle’s POV
I barely slept that night.
Every sound made me jump, the creak of the floorboards, the ticking clock, even the soft hum of the fridge. I kept getting up to check on Amelia. She was curled under her blanket, her stuffed bear tucked under her arm, breathing softly like nothing had happened.
But I couldn’t stop staring at her face.
Every bruise, every mark, they were faint now, but they were there. Proof that someone had touched what was mine.
I sat beside her bed, brushing her hair off her forehead. “You’re safe,” I whispered. “You’re safe now, baby.”
But even saying it didn’t make it true.
She stirred a little, mumbling in her sleep. I leaned closer.
“Javi…”
That name again.
My stomach turned.
I swallowed hard and forced a smile she couldn’t see. “You don’t have to rem
