Alex.

I stepped into the living room, expecting nothing unusual, but what I saw immediately made me pause in surprise.

There, sitting comfortably on the sofa, was Ella.

And she was smiling at me.

Before I could even fully process her presence, she suddenly rushed toward me without hesitation and threw her arms tightly around me, pulling me into an embrace that felt both familiar and overwhelming.

"Missed you, baby!" she said sweetly, her voice soft and warm as she held me close.

A smile spread across my face almost instantly.

It felt strange...like I had not heard her voice or felt her presence in a very long time. For a brief moment, everything else faded away, and all that mattered was that she was here, right in front of me.

Without thinking further, I grabbed her waist firmly and pulled her even closer, my lips finding hers in a deep, passionate kiss. The intensity of it came naturally, like I had been holding back for too long.

I had missed her more than I could explain.

A part of me even feared that if I let go, she might disappear again.

"I missed you more, Ella," I murmured against her lips between the kisses. "I can’t believe I am hiding and kissing you right now."

My words came out breathless, mixed with emotion and longing.

I wanted more of her, more closeness and more time but just as I deepened the moment, something suddenly interrupted us.

Out of nowhere, a small child appeared and tugged sharply at my trousers, pulling my attention downward.

"Stay away from my mommy! You bad man!" the child shouted.

I froze instantly.

The words didn’t register properly at first, as confusion washed over me.

I blinked, slightly taken aback by the sudden interruption, my mind struggling to understand where the child had even come from.

Instinctively, I turned as if to reach for the child, but it quickly moved away, slipping out of my grasp. It disappeared.

Confused, I shifted my attention back toward Ella, hoping for an explanation.

But her expression had changed completely as her soft smile was gone. Instead, she was frowning at me.

Before I could even say anything, her figure began to fade, dissolving right before my eyes as though she had never been there at all.

Panic surged through me instantly.

"No... no... no!" I shouted, reaching out desperately into empty space. "Ella, please stay!"

My hands grasped nothing but air.

And then, I jolted awake.

My eyes flew open abruptly as I jolted upright, sucking in a sharp breath as though I had just escaped something suffocating. I was sweating heavily, my chest rising and falling in quick, uneven motions while my mind slowly struggled to reconnect with reality.

For a few seconds, I simply sat there, frozen.

Then it hit me.

It had all been a dream.

A vivid, disturbing dream that had felt so real it was almost impossible to separate it from reality even now.

I dragged a hand through my hair, still visibly shaken, trying to calm myself and steady my breathing, but my thoughts refused to settle.

One thing kept pressing at the front of my mind, refusing to fade away.

The child. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Who exactly was that child?

And more importantly...why did it call Ella "mommy"?

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself to sit properly in my chair again, wiping the sweat off my forehead as I tried to regain control of myself.

My breathing was still uneven, but I forced myself to act normal.

Almost immediately, I reached for the file on my desk and began arranging it neatly, one page after another, as though organizing papers could somehow organize the chaos in my mind too. I tried to focus on the task in front of me, pushing every single thought away, burying them beneath work and logic.

But it wasn’t working.

I felt like I was slowly losing my grip on my own sanity.

All I wanted... was to see Ella.

That was the only thought that kept repeating itself, louder each time.

And that child I saw in the dream...It had to be a reflection of something deep inside me. My desire, my fear, my guilt—all mixed together in a way that made everything feel disturbingly real.

"Argh!" I let out a soft sigh, rubbing my temple in frustration.

What exactly had I done to myself?

The thought hit me like a heavy weight.

I had Ella right beside me all this time...yet I never truly cherished her the way I should have. I kept taking her presence for granted, as though she would always remain there waiting for me.

Now I wasn’t even sure if I had already lost her.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, my voice low and rough. "She must hate me now."

The realization settled heavily in my chest, making it harder to breathe.

I paused for a moment, staring blankly ahead.

But...could I still fix things?

The thought slipped out before I could stop myself.

Maybe I still had a chance.

Maybe I could make things right.

A dangerous idea slowly formed in my mind.

I could simply keep Eva locked away until she gave birth...and in return, I would restore Ella’s position as Luna. That way, everything would return to how it was supposed to be.

Yes.

That could work.

And I would ask Ella properly this time...ask her for a second chance without hesitation.

The court hearing was getting closer, and I couldn’t afford to lose her now. Not when everything was hanging by such a thin thread.

"Think, Alex!" I suddenly shouted at myself, slamming my hands hard on the desk as I stood up abruptly.

The sound echoed through the room.

I began pacing back and forth, my steps quick and restless as my mind raced faster than I could control.

And then, as I glanced out through the window for a brief moment, something shifted inside me.

A new thought.

A plan.

Slowly, carefully, it began to take shape in my mind.