ELLA

We spent the next few hours training. I couldn’t tell if she had gotten stronger over the last few days or if she was simply channeling her emotions into this session, but at the beginning, I was struggling to keep up.

Slowly, I started catching up with her pace. My body hurt all over, and my joints screamed for mercy, but I didn’t stop until she signaled that it was time to take a break.

Even then, I wanted to keep going, but I knew it was better to let her catch her breath and recollect her thoughts.

I tried to steady my breathing and calm my nerves as...