#Chapter 101: Awaited Response

Alexander POV Ella always managed to surprise me in ways I didn’t expect. When we met at the gym, it wasn’t necessarily her strength or speed that caught me off guard—I’d expected her to have some athleticism. What surprised me was her enthusiasm. For someone who claimed she didn’t exercise regularly, she threw herself into each part of the workout with an energy that was rare to see. After she left, I met with each of the trainers to discuss her results, and though none of them openly praised her, I could see they were as impressed as I was. It made me feel an odd surge of pride. Of course, any public praise of Ella reflected positively on me due to our “relationship,” but that wasn’t why I felt this way. Ella had endured more in the brief time I’d known her than most people face in a lifetime, and all of it at the hands of someone who claimed to love her. Yet, despite the pain she’d suffered, she continued to push forward, to improve herself, and t