ALEXANDER
I turned fully toward her.
Faye had pushed herself up slightly, her hand gripping the edge of the bed like she needed something solid to hold onto. Her breathing wasn’t as unstable as before, but it wasn’t steady either. There was strain there. Effort.
But her eyes—
I took a step closer without thinking.
“Faye—”
“No,” she said quickly, shaking her head once.
It wasn’t sharp.
But it was firm enough to stop me.
“I heard both of you,” she added, her voice tightening slightly. “So don’t—don’t start acting like I wasn’t part of that conversation.”
Helen didn’t speak.
Neither did I.
Faye exhaled slowly, like she was trying to gather herself before continuing.
“For a second,” she said, quieter now, “it sounded like I wasn’t even in the room. Like you were already deciding
