ALEX POV
The air was thick with tension as Alice stormed out of the private dining room, leaving me standing there with my jaw clenched in frustration. Her footsteps echoed down the hallway, each step a sharp reminder of the rift that had formed between us.
I followed her, my mind racing. She didn’t understand. I wasn’t trying to control her—I was trying to keep her safe. The memories of her in the hands of those maniacs still haunted me, fueling my need to protect her. But how could I make her see that?
"Alex, what are you doing?" Val’s voice broke through my thoughts. She was standing in the hallway, watching me with a concerned expression.
"I need to talk to her," I said, more to myself than to Val. I quickened my pace, determined to catch up with Alice.
When I finally found her in
