“Okay,” I said after a moment. “If you think it’s no big deal, then I’ll trust your judgment. But if something does happen, I want you to inform me as soon as possible so we can deal with it together. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” Alexander said after a long pause, his voice steady but low. “I promise you, Ella, I wouldn’t do anything to compromise our success. We’ve worked too hard to get to this point. I do trust you—it’s just that some pain is too personal to share, even with those you trust the most.”
I nodded slowly, understanding his words all too well. There were things I wished I could share—things I had carried with me for so long—but I knew I never would. Not with my parents, not even with Alexander.
It was a lonely feeling.
We ate in silence for a while, each of us lost in
