~ALEXANDRO’S POV~

She’s quiet. Too quiet.

Lauren sits beside me like she’s a stranger in my car, her body angled away, her gaze glued to the window as if the glass can shield her from the truth. From me.

As if distance, even imagined, could protect her.

It won’t.

I grip the steering wheel tighter, the leather biting into my palm. The need to reach over, to pull her back into my space, is a sickness I’m fighting with every breath.

But if I touch her now, I won’t stop. And if I don’t stop, I’ll ruin her in ways she’ll never come back from.

My jaw ticks. I’m already...