Chapter 24

Alec’s POV. I let out a soft sigh and lowered the heat on the stove to pay full attention to Alana. It was clear that something had been on her mind for a while and every conversation we had seemed to reveal a lingering conflict within her. She remained cautious around me, which was understandable. After all, we hadn't seen each other in years, and I had taken the place of someone else in her life. "Of course, what's on your mind this time?" I asked, resting my hands on my hips as I focused on her. I hoped it wasn't another inquiry about my job. I had been deliberately vague about it, and it had worked with her parents, but it seemed Alana herself had a stronger need to know more. "This time, it's about us," Alana said, broaching a much more complex topic than I had anticipated. For me, it wasn't complex at all. I knew precisely what I wanted, but it was evidently complicated for her. Alana had always seen me as her enemy, her rival, and even after our marriage, her skepticism remai