**TITLE: The Perfect 414**
**Alexander’s POV**
“She’s with him, you know.”
The moment those words reached my ears, I felt an overwhelming urge to shield myself from the truth. I pressed my palms against my ears, desperately trying to block out the voice that seemed to seep from every corner of the room. It was relentless, a cacophony that echoed through the walls, reverberating through the floor and ceiling, and burrowing itself deep within my mind. It felt as if it had taken residence in my very thoughts, like a parasite feeding off my insecurities.
“They’re friends. They’re allowed to be together,” I spat out, my voice strained and low, each word a struggle against the tightness in my throat. It felt as if the words were clawing their way out, desperate to escape but painful to utter.
The voice let out a mocking chuckle that grated against my nerves like nails scraping down a chalkboard.
“You didn’t think that a year ago,” it taunted, the sound slithering closer, wrapping around me like a suffocating shroud. I could almost feel the floorboards creaking beneath its weight, but I refused to open my eyes. I couldn’t bear to face it again; it was too horrifying, too real. “Remember when your jealousy burned so hot you wanted to kill Liam? Whatever happened to that fire of yours, hmm?”
I shook my head violently, shoving my fingers deeper into my ears as if that could somehow shield me from the truth. “I got to know Liam and Ella better. I trust them both now.” My heart raced as I spoke, trying to convince myself as much as the voice.
“Are you sure she didn’t just whip you into submission?” The voice hissed, now so close I could almost sense its rancid breath brushing against my skin. “She’s a master at that, you know. Manipulating you into believing you’re the villain. Reducing you to a mere shadow of a man.”
With a surge of defiance, I turned away, burying my face into the soft couch cushions, trying to drown out the insidious whispers. No. Ella was not like that. Our love was genuine, forged through trials and strengthened by trust. Everything she had done was to uplift me, to guide me toward what was good and right in this chaotic world.
She made me a better man. I loved her fiercely. I would not allow this dark entity to twist my perception and turn me against her.
But even as I clung to memories of Ella’s radiant smile, as I tried to focus on the joy she and Lucien brought into my life, those images darkened, twisting into something grotesque, like murky waters tainted with despair.

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