Olivia’s POV

The weight of Alexander’s presence lingered, his piercing blue eyes haunting me even after our confrontation in the kitchen. Fighting him felt like battling an unrelenting ocean breeze—impossible to resist yet impossible to embrace.

I had done everything to make him despise me, to sever any connection between us, hoping it would arm me against him. But the way he looked at me, with such intensity and depth, stirred a confusing mix of emotions. Part of me feared he might ...