Chapter 230

Ella POV

Alexander sat on the couch, staring blankly at the darkened television screen. The soft glow of the city lights filtered in through the windows, but his mind was elsewhere.

His fingers tapped absently against his knee, his body tense with restless energy. He didn’t even seem to notice that I was standing just a few feet away watching him.

He’d been like this ever since he came home from work. Something was weighing heavily on him and I couldn’t guess what it was. Tomorrow he would meet his daughter, but this reaction seemed too strong for that to be the explanation.

I woke up a few minutes ago to find myself along in bed. It was 2am, so I came to look and found him like this.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes as she padded toward him. "Alexander? What are you doing up?" I asked softly.

He turned to me, his blue eyes clouded with uncertainty. He hesitated for a moment before finally exhaling a heavy breath. "I’m nervous about meeting Lexie."

My heart softened at his admission, though it still didn’t seem to be the complete story. I sat beside him, resting my hand gently on his arm. "You don’t have to be nervous. You’re charming and sweet, and you care so much. She’s going to love you."

He let out a dry chuckle. "You think so?"

"I know so," I assured him. "And if you need proof, just look at the way you take care of everyone around you. You have a big heart, Alexander."

He gave me a small, grateful smile, but the doubt still lingered in his expression. I could tell that he needed more than just words. It was rare to see him like this. I took his hand gently and stood up.

“Come with me,” I said firmly. “You need to get some sleep.”

He didn’t answer, but stood up when I pulled on his hand.

I coaxed him to bed, wrapping my arms around him as we lay together. He was stiff, his muscles tense with whatever worry was haunting him.

I traced soothing patterns on his back until his breathing evened out and he finally drifted into sleep.

The next morning, Alexander and I arrived at the shopping center to meet Sabrina and Lexie.

The bustling energy of the place was overwhelming this close to the holidays. There were crowds of people all around, but as we approached Sabrina, Alexander’s focus was solely on the small blonde girl playing in the children’s area.

She had pigtails that bounced as she ran, her laughter ringing through the space like bells. The moment I saw her in person any little bit of doubt I had vanished. Her facial expressions, her smile, looked exactly like Alexander.

“Lexie!” Sabrina called out as she saw Alexander approaching.

Obediently, the little girl stopped her play and hurried back to her mother’s side. She watched as we walked up to her, half hiding behind Sabinra.

This was my first time meeting either of them and I felt completely out of place. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was intruding on something here, but Alexander was holding onto my hand tightly.

I squeezed his fingers, hoping to reassure him.

“Hello Sabrina,” Alexander said.

She smiled weakly at him. “Hello Alexander,” she replied. “This is Lexie.” She put her hand gently on the little girl’s back and urged her forward. “Lexie, this is Alexander.”

“Hello,” the girl said softly as she stepped forward. “My Mommy told me a lot about you. She said that you’re my other Daddy.”

Alexander glanced at Sabrina with barely contained shock. When he looked back at the girl, he smiled. “Yes, but you can just call me Alex if you want.”

“Okay,” she said, looking almost relieved. Then a familiar, mischievous smile spread across her face and she lunged forward, grabbing Alexander by the hand. "Come play with me!" Lexie insisted, her wide eyes filled with excitement.

Alexander blinked in surprise, obviously caught off guard. "Alright,” he said. “Let’s play."

I watched as Alexander followed Lexie into the play area, my chest tightening with emotion. I could see it so clearly—the bond forming between them, the way Alexander was already looking at Lexie like she was the most precious thing in the world.

I had never seen him so unguarded before, so completely at ease despite the chaos surrounding our lives. It was wonderful.

"He’s good with her," I murmured, shifting my gaze to Sabrina.

Sabrina had been watching too, her expression unreadable. "Yeah. He is."

I studied her, taking in the tiredness in her eyes and the way her shoulders seemed weighed down by an invisible burden. There was no denying that Sabrina was beautiful, but beneath that, she looked exhausted—drained.

"Are you alright?" I asked, turning my full attention to her.

I still wasn’t sure how I should feel about her. Alexander’s first love, the one that had broken his heart so much that he almost rejected me out of fear of feeling that again. I had built her up in my mind to be a cold hearted woman, but she didn’t seem like that now.

Sabrina hesitated, as if debating whether to tell the truth. Then, with a heavy sigh, she admitted, "I’m just tired. The last few months have been... horrible. I love my daughter more than anything, but sometimes I wonder if I was ever meant to be a mother."

The words left my mouth before I could stop them. "Why did you leave Alexander? Why did you keep Lexie a secret from him?"

Sabrina looked away, guilt flickering across her face. She was quiet for a long moment before she finally spoke. "Diana told me that Alexander never wanted children. That if I told him, he’d be furious, that he’d never forgive me for getting pregnant. She arranged everything—sent me away, found me a husband far from home. She convinced me that it was the only way to protect Lexie and myself."

My hands clenched into fists at my sides. Diana. Again.

It was infuriating how much damage that woman had done, how deeply she had embedded herself into Alexander’s life, always pulling the strings from the shadows.

I wanted to do something—to stop Diana before she caused any more harm—but the best course of action wasn’t clear yet. I didn’t want to make anything worse.

“I’m sorry that she did that to you,” I said.

Sabrina looked at me in shock. It was the first time she had made eye contact with me and it took me off guard for a moment. Her eyes were so dark and deep that I could easily see how someone might get lost in them.

Then Sabrina smiled sadly. “Thank you,” she said. “But… in a way it was for the best. Alexander and I would never have worked out in the long term. We’re too different. He’s ambitious and driven and I only ever wanted a quiet life.”

“Diana is using that against you, isn’t she?” I asked.

She nodded. “She using everything she can against me,” she admitted. “I was so relieved when Alexander called me. I wanted to reach out to him, but I didn’t think he’d talk to me.”

“Well, I’m glad he called too. We can figure out how to handle this together.”

Sabrina looked back towards Lexie and Alexander and I could see the moment she accepted my words as a relieved sigh slipped from her.

I meant what I said. As I watched Alexander smiling briliantly while he played with Lexie, I couldn’t imagine allowing anything to come between them ever again.