I couldn’t sleep.
Even with Alexander’s warm body curled protectively around mine, his hand resting on my pregnant belly, I lay awake staring at the ceiling. The gentle sound of waves outside the villa window usually soothed me. Tonight, it felt like a cage closing in.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw my mother’s face from that video — pale, terrified, broken. Her voice begging Alexander not to destroy me the way he had destroyed her.
Grief hit me like a wave I couldn’t outrun.
She had tried to save me. And he had killed her for it.
Tears slipped silently down my cheeks. I bit my lip hard to keep from sobbing out loud. Alexander stirred behind me, his arm tightening around my waist as if he could sense my distress even in sleep.
“Babygirl…” he murmured, voice rough with sleep. “You
