Chapter 36 A Breath of Freedom
Isabella’s POV
The car slowed as it turned into Sarah’s street.
My heart started racing the moment I saw the familiar apartment building come into view.
I still couldn’t quite believe it.
For weeks I had been trapped inside Alexander’s penthouse, staring at the same walls, the same skyline, the same quiet rooms that felt more like a cage than a home. And now here I was… actually outside, actually free to walk somewhere that wasn’t guarded by his rules.
The driver pulled to the curb and turned slightly in his seat.
“I’ll be here when you’re ready, ma’am.”
I nodded quickly, barely hearing him.
“Okay. Thank you.”
The second the car door opened, I stepped out onto the sidewalk.
The air felt different.
Fresh.
Normal.
I stared up at the apartment building for a moment, my chest tightening with emotion.
I hadn’t seen Sarah since the wedding.
Since everything changed.
I practically ran to the entrance.
My hand shook slightly as I pressed the buzzer.
A moment passed.
Then the door clicked open.
I hurried up the stairs and stopped outside her apartment door.
Before I could even knock—
The door flew open.
Sarah stood there.
For half a second she just stared at me like she wasn’t sure I was real.
Then her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh my God.”
“Sarah—”
She pulled me into a hug so tight I could barely breathe.
“I can’t believe it’s you,” she said, her voice breaking. “I thought I wasn’t going to see you again for months.”
I laughed a little, though my eyes were starting to sting too.
“I missed you.”
She pulled back, wiping her face.
“Come inside.”
The apartment looked exactly the same as it always had—small, cozy, cluttered in the comforting way that made it feel lived in.
Not like Alexander’s penthouse.
Not like that polished, perfect prison.
Sarah grabbed my hands and pulled me to the couch.
“Sit. Tell me everything.”
I smiled, sinking down into the cushions.
“How are you?” she asked immediately, searching my face.
I took a breath.
“It’s… better than I thought it would be.”
Her eyebrows lifted.
“Really?”
I nodded slowly.
“He’s… complicated.”
“That’s one word for it.”
I laughed softly.
“One minute he’s cold,” I said. “Completely cold. Like nothing gets through to him.”
“And the next?”
“And the next he looks at me like he actually cares.”
Sarah frowned slightly.
“And then?”
“Then five minutes later he’s back to being a complete jerk.”
She shook her head.
“That man sounds exhausting.”
“He is,” I admitted. “I swear, I never know what version of him I’m going to get. But it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.”
Sarah leaned forward.
“Not as bad as you thought?”
“When I saw him kill someone,” I continued quietly, “I thought he was just… this cold, heartless guy.”
I paused.
She squeezed my hand.
“But?”
“But sometimes something slips out,” I said. “A different side of him.”
“What do you mean?”
“Little things,” I said. “Moments where you can see there’s something else there.”
Sarah watched me carefully.
“Like what?”
“Like the other night,” I said slowly.
Her eyes immediately widened.
“Oh?”
I laughed nervously.
“Don’t get excited.”
“Too late.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m just saying… he surprised me.”
“How?”
I hesitated.
“He didn’t force anything.”
Sarah blinked.
“He didn’t?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“And I’m actually really thankful for that. Considering everything he is… I was scared he might be that kind of man.”
Sarah leaned back, clearly relieved.
“So he hasn’t started the whole ‘time to make a baby’ thing yet?”
I smiled slightly.
“Not exactly.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
“Well…”
I looked down at my hands.
“I did let him… touch me.”
Sarah’s jaw dropped.
“Isabella!”
“Relax.”
“I need details.”
I laughed.
“Slow down.”
“No,” she said firmly. “Absolutely not. You don’t get to drop a bomb like that and then act calm about it.”
I shook my head.
“Nothing actually happened.”
Her eyebrows shot up.
“What do you mean nothing happened?”
I felt my face warm.
“He just…”
“Just what?”
“He went down on me.”
Sarah gasped so loudly I was pretty sure the neighbors heard it.
“ISABELLA!”
“Shh!”
She grabbed a pillow and hugged it dramatically.
“Okay. Start from the beginning. I want every detail.”
I laughed, shaking my head.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“And you’re avoiding the story.”
I sighed.
“Fine.”
I leaned back into the couch and told her everything. Not every detail, how badly I had wanted him, how my whole body had been on fire just from the way he touched me.
“He was… really gentle that night,” I admitted. “Not like the version of him I see most of the time.”
Sarah looked completely stunned.
“Gentle?”
I nodded.
“Yes.”
“And then what happened?”
“He told me we had time,” I said. “That we didn’t need to rush anything.”
Sarah blinked, clearly trying to picture it.
“That… doesn’t sound like the Alexander you’ve been describing.”
“I know,” I said with a small shrug. “That’s what confused me too. But the next morning,” I added, “he went right back to ignoring me.”
Her expression fell.
“Seriously?”
“Yep.”
I sighed.
“He’s like two different people. One minute he’s kind… almost sweet.”
“And the next?”
“The next he’s cold again.”
Sarah shook her head slowly.
“That sounds confusing.”
“It is,” I admitted.
“I never know which version of him I’m going to get.”
I looked out the window for a moment.
“But either way…”
I smiled faintly.
“It’s still not as bad as I thought it would be.”