~Alexander's POV~
Alis reached out, his cool fingers closing gently around my trembling hands. He looked up at me, his expression softening into quiet, weary calm.
"It's okay, Alex," he said softly. "Let's just rest for a while. We both need it."
~Alistair's POV~
I guided him to the edge of the bed and gently urged him to sit. The moment he did, the apologies started pouring out.
He kept saying he was sorry, over and over, asking me not to go back and tell my mother what had happened here.
He looked completely shaken, like he didn't even understand it himself.
"I don't know what got into her," he said quietly. "I don't know why she's acting like this."
"It's fine, Alex," I murmured, squeezing his hand. "Really, it's fine."
Silence settled between us as we lay there, but my mind was anything but calm.
I tried to ease the tension by changing the subject, talking about my plans and the progress I was making with Andrew's help.
