#Chapter 227: Helping Hands

Ella POV The city lights blurred past as we drove home, the weight of the press conference still pressing down on me. The car was quiet except for the hum of the engine, the chaos of earlier now a distant echo. Alexander’s hand found mine, his grip steady and warm. “It’s over,” he said softly. “David is out of the picture. You did what you set out to do.” I turned my gaze to him, studying the calm certainty in his expression. “And now what?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. He squeezed my hand. “Now, you get to decide what comes next.” That was the part that scared me. For so long, my only goal had been stopping David. I had lived and breathed that mission, every decision guided by that singular purpose. I never let myself think about what came after. And now, standing at the edge of an open future, I didn’t know how to move forward. “What if I don’t know what I want?” I admitted. Alexander smiled faintly, bringing our intertw