I stumbled backward until my legs hit the bed, the laptop screen still glowing with the damning video.

Alexander stood in the doorway, his tall frame filling the space. His face was calm — too calm but his gray eyes burned with something dangerous I hadn’t seen in years.

“Ava,” he said softly, stepping inside and closing the door behind him with a quiet click. “Put the laptop down.”

My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold it. Tears streamed down my face as the words from the recording echoed in my head.

“I warned you what would happen if you tried to take Ava away from me…”...