Ella walked into the living room and immediately found Cassandra waiting for her.
"El..." Cassandra hurried toward her and pulled her into a hug. "Are you okay?"
Ella nodded. "I'm okay."
Cassandra didn't let go of Ella. "I'm sorry for keeping it from you." Cassandra's voice was quiet. "I thought it would be better for you to come home and see him yourself than to breakdown throughout the journey back here." She pulled back and looked into Ella's eyes. "We didn't want to hurt you, but we ended up doing exactly that."
Ella gave her a small smile. "Alex already explained it and I understand."
Cassandra nodded. "Okay." She studied Ella's face for a moment. "Then tell me how you're doing."
Ella's smile disappeared. "I don't know, Cass." She looked down. "He's... I'm scared." Her voice faltered. "It feels like he's giving up."
Cassandra's expression softened as she took Ella's hands and led her toward the sofa. "Did he say that?"
