ELENA'S POINT OF VIEW
The drive home was suffocating.
Alex's hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles had turned white. His jaw was clenched. His eyes were fixed on the road ahead like he was trying to drill a hole through the windshield.
We hadn't spoken a single word since he refused to answer my questions.
And she is back.
Mia.
The woman from the letters. The woman whose face had been burned out of that photograph. The woman who had made Alex look like he'd seen a ghost.
I sat in the passenger seat, my hands folded in my lap, too afraid to move. Too afraid to breathe too loudly.
The silence wasn't just uncomfortable.
It was terrifying.
I wanted to ask him about her. I wanted to demand answers. Wanted to know why he'd looked at her like that.
But I couldn't.
Because the energy radiating from Alex right now was dangerous.
Like one wrong word would make something inside him snap.
So I said nothing.
The car pulled through the gates of the mansion, up the long driveway.
Alex parked and got out immediately.
Didn't open my door. Didn't wait for me. Just walked toward the entrance with quick, angry strides.
I got out slowly, gathering my dress, following behind him.
My heels clicked against the stone pathway.
And that's when I saw her.
Victoria.
Sitting on one of the chairs near the entrance. Just... sitting there. Waiting.
My steps faltered.
What was she doing here? At this hour?
Alex stopped walking when he saw her too.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Victoria stood slowly, her expression unreadable in the dim light.
"Welcome back," she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm. "How was the charity auction?"
Alex didn't answer.
Just stared at his mother like he was trying to figure out why she was here.
I stood a few steps behind him, my heart starting to pound.
Something was wrong.
Victoria being here, this late, waiting for us... It wasn't normal.
"What do you want?" Alex asked.
His voice was cold. Direct. No pretense.
Victoria's expression didn't change.
"A baby."
The word hung in the air between us.
I felt my heart stop.
A baby?
"What?" The word escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Victoria's eyes shifted to me briefly, then back to Alex.
"I want a grandchild."
Alex let out a short, bitter laugh.
The kind of laugh that had no humor in it at all.
"A baby?" he repeated. "Are you for real?"
"I don't care what you think," Victoria said, her voice hardening. "All I need is a grandchild."
"You do not have any right," Alex's voice rose, sharp and angry, "to tell me how to live my life. You don't get to tell me to bring a child into this world. It is NOT your business."
"Not my business?" Victoria's voice took on an edge I'd never heard before. "I don't have any rights? You've been living your life like a machine, Alexander. Working. Making money. Nothing else. No family. No warmth. No love."
She stepped closer to him.
"Fine. You got married. And now you expect us to sit back and wait? Wait until we're dead before you give us a grandchild?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alex said through gritted teeth, "but I'm not discussing this."
He turned away from her and started walking toward the stairs.
"Come back here, Alexander."
Victoria's voice was sharp. Commanding.
Alex kept walking.
Ignoring her completely.
I saw Victoria's expression change.
From controlled anger to something fiercer.
She moved quickly, getting in front of Alex, spinning him around to face her.
And then she slapped him.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the night air like a gunshot.
I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth.
Oh my God.
Alex's head had turned from the impact. His cheek was red. But he didn't look up.
Didn't meet his mother's eyes.
Just stood there, staring at the ground.
His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the muscle jumping.
I'd never seen anything like this.
Never imagined Victoria capable of this.
"This is the first and last time," Victoria said, her voice shaking with barely controlled fury, "that you will raise your voice at me. Do you understand?"
Alex said nothing.
Just kept staring down.
Out of respect, I realized.
Even furious, even humiliated, he wouldn't disrespect his mother by looking her in the eye after that.
"When we discussed your marriage," Victoria continued, her voice hard, "we never talked about whether or not you'd have children. You just assumed it was YOUR business and walked away. Fine. That was your choice. But giving me a grandchild? That is no longer just your business. That is a family business. And you WILL give me a grandchild. Sooner or later."
I could see Alex's hands forming fists at his sides.
His entire body was rigid with barely contained rage.
But he didn't move.
Didn't argue.
Because when Victoria was this angry, everyone was scared.
Even Alex.
"I heard," Victoria said, her tone shifting slightly, "that you bought a private island at the auction tonight."
Alex's jaw worked, but he said nothing.
"You'd better make use of that island. Take your wife on a honeymoon. Ever since you got married, you haven't even thought about taking her anywhere. You just went back to work like nothing changed. Like she doesn't exist."
Each word felt like it was aimed at me too.
Like she was saying everything I'd been too afraid to think.
"Now do your job as a husband," Victoria continued. "Take your wife. Spend time with her. Forget about your work and your business for once in your life."
She stepped even closer to Alex.
"I don't care if you want to or not. Do as I say. Tomorrow, I want you both out of this house. Going on your honeymoon. Failure to do so, you will face my wrath."
Tomorrow.
We were leaving tomorrow.
My mind spun.
A honeymoon. With Alex. Alone. On an island.
After tonight. After Mia. After everything.
Victoria turned away from Alex then.
And walked straight toward me.
Her expression transformed completely.
The anger melted away. Her face softened.
She took my hands in hers, and her touch was gentle. Warm.
"I know this seems harsh right now," she said quietly. "But please, you should understand what a mother wants. I just want you both to be happy, and to give me something to look forward to."
I couldn't speak.
Couldn't find words.
Just nodded numbly.
"Take care, sweetheart."
She hugged me briefly.
Then she was gone.
Walking down the pathway. Getting into her car. Driving away.
And I stood there, frozen.
Still in my gala dress.
Still trying to process what had just happened.
Slowly, I turned to look at Alex.
He was standing where his mother had left him.
His cheek is still red from the slap.
His fists were still clenched at his sides.
And then he looked up.
Our eyes met.
And I saw everything.
Humiliation. Rage. Something broken that I'd never seen before.
His jaw worked. Clenching and unclenching.
Like he was trying to hold himself together.
Trying not to explode.
Without a word, he turned and walked past me.
Up the stairs.
I heard his study door open.
Then slam shut.
The sound echoed through the empty mansion.
And I stood there alone.
In the entrance hall.
In my beautiful dress that suddenly felt like a costume.
My hands were shaking.
My heart was racing.
My mind couldn't stop replaying everything.
The slap.
The demand for a baby.
The order to leave is tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
We'd be on an island.
Alone.
Together.
And his mother expected us to come back with... what? A child on the way?
I pressed my hand to my stomach, feeling sick.
I couldn't do this.
Couldn't have a baby with a man who didn't love me.
Who had just been confronted by his past tonight.
Who looked at me like I was a burden he couldn't escape.
But what choice did I have?
Victoria had made it clear.
This wasn't a request.
It was a command.
And Alex, for all his anger and power, hadn't argued.
Hadn't refused.
Which meant tomorrow, we'd be leaving.
Going on a honeymoon that neither of us wanted.
To an island that was supposed to be romantic.
With tension so thick between us I didn't know how we'd survive two weeks.
I walked slowly up the stairs.
My legs felt weak.
When I reached our bedroom, I closed the door behind me and leaned against it.
Closed my eyes.
Tried to breathe.
But all I could see was Alex's face when his mother slapped him.
The way he'd looked at the ground.
The way his entire body had trembled with suppressed rage.
And I realized something that made my chest tighten.
I'd seen Alex cold. Cruel. Distant.
But I'd never seen him vulnerable.
Never seen him humiliated.
Never seen him look so... human.
And it scared me.
Because it was easier to keep my distance from the cold, untouchable CEO.
Easier to protect my heart from a man who felt nothing.
But this?
This version of Alex who could be hurt?
Who could be broken?
This was dangerous.
Because if I saw too much of this side of him, I'd forget to protect myself.
I'd forget that this was temporary.
That he didn't want me.
That his heart belonged to someone else.
I changed out of my dress slowly.
Showered, and climbed into bed.
But I didn't sleep.
Just stared at the ceiling.
Thinking about tomorrow.
About the island.
About what Victoria expected.
About the sound of that slap echoing through the night.
And about the fact that somewhere in this house, Alex was probably doing the same thing.
Unable to sleep.
Unable to forget.
Unable to escape what was coming.