73 : LET'S NOT BRING THE PAST.

Karim and I had gone to meet Alpha Jo at his request. He demanded that he would love to see me alone. I stood there, my heart pounding, my mind racing with memories and emotions. Karim had left us alone at Alpha Jo's insistence, and now it was just the two of us, facing the unresolved past that lay between us.

Alpha Jo's eyes were heavy with regret as he looked at me. "Ava," he began, his voice a mixture of sorrow and resolve, "I owe you an apology for everything that has happened. For banishing you, for not standing by you when you needed me the most."

I took a deep breath, the memories of those painful days flooding back. "Jo," I said, my voice trembling, "so much has happened since then. Many have died, and the wounds left behind are deep. It's hard to even think about the love we once had."

He nodded, his gaze never leaving mine. "I understand, Ava. By law, you are still my wife, and I never stopped thinking of you as such. But I know that law and reality are not the same. I've m