CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY SIX - Facing Reality

Lucas knelt beside her, reaching out tentatively. It had been so long since they'd truly connected that the gesture felt almost foreign. "Talk to me," he said softly. "Please." And so, for the first time in months, Ella opened up. She poured out her loneliness, her fear, her longing for the life they'd left behind. She spoke of feeling trapped, of missing her friends and her work, of the crushing weight of their new reality. Lucas listened, his own eyes filling with tears as he realized how much pain Ella had been in. "I'm so sorry," he said when she finally fell silent. "I've been so focused on keeping us safe that I didn't see how much you were hurting." Ella leaned into him, allowing herself to take comfort in his embrace for the first time in what felt like forever. "I miss us," she murmured. "I miss who we used to be." Lucas tightened his arms around her. "I miss us too. I promise we'll find a way through this, Ella. Together." For a moment, it felt like a breakthrough. But a