Alexander POV
Ella lay quiet and still beside me, her breathing steady but her body tense. Despite her insistence that this arrangement was fine, I knew she was uncomfortable. I couldn’t blame her—this situation was awkward, to say the least.
As I lay there, the memory of that night crept into my mind, unbidden and unwelcome. The night David had poisoned her. I clenched my jaw, pushing the thought away, but it lingered, as it always did. That night had been a mistake. Not because of my being there for her, but the way I handled it after.
I should have known better than to let things escalate the way they had. Ella had insisted she wanted me to stay, and I’d been unable to resist. Something about her vulnerability, her raw honesty, had shattered my resolve. Walking away from h
