Alex.
"How do I promise you that," Ella asked, her voice strained as she struggled against my embrace, "when I can't properly breathe?"
Her words reached me through the haze clouding my thoughts.
For a brief moment, I simply stared at her, and then realization hit me all at once—she hadn't been asking me to let her go from my life…she had only been asking me to loosen my hold.
I had completely misunderstood her.
A slow breath escaped my lips.
Without another second of hesitation, I relaxed my arms and gradually released her from my embrace.
The moment she was free, I instinctively took a small shift to the side of the bed.
My breathing remained uneven.
I lifted both hands and gripped my head tightly, pressing my fingers against my temples as though I could somehow force my racing thoughts to settle, and to calm down.
I repeated the words silently to myself— "She's still here!" "She isn't leaving!" "She's standing right beside you." "She's safe!" "She's with you."
