Chapter 46 Three Days

• The journey back to the hospital passed in such heavy silence, Rania's mind continuously churning between Wilhelmina's offer and the terrifying consequences if she refused it. Aleksander sat beside her, his hand gripping Rania's tightly, giving the woman room to process whatever had happened without forcing her to speak before she was ready.
• Occasionally he glanced at Rania's face from the corner of his eye, searching for any sign of how much that conversation had shaken the heart of the woman he loved so much, though he knew well that some wounds need longer to be revealed than others. His fingers occasionally stroked the back of Rania's hand with a gentle motion, a wordless language saying that he would wait as long as it took.
• Streetlights flashed quickly past the car window, the city beginning to wake in the morning looked so foreign to her, as though the world had shifted slightly off its axis since the terrifying meeting she'd just experienced. She leaned her head against the cold window, trying to calm her chaotic thoughts by counting every lamppost they passed, a futile effort to distract herself from the heavy burden weighing on her shoulders.