Ava walked over and gently asked, "Hey, are you alright?"


    "I''m fine," she replied, though her tears betrayed her words. She whispered softly, "Sometimes it''s better to just get it over with. It''ll get better eventually."


    Ava wasn''t sure what to say-words always seem so inadequate in the face of such heartache. So, she simply wrapped her arms around Selena, letting her lean in and let it all out.


    ...


    That afternoon, ine finally woke up. Selena brought Mateo along to visit him.


    Mateo clung to the edge of the hospital bed, eyes wide with concern as he took in ine''s frail appearance. "Uncle ine, does it hurt?" he asked cautiously.


    He remembered how even the tiniest scratch would make him wail, and Ava had mentioned that Uncle ine had been shot. That must hurt a lot, he thought.


    ine was definitely in pain, but he put on a brave face for the young one. He quivered his lips and said, "A real man doesn''t feel pain, you know."


    But Mateo, being the honest kid he was, wasn''t buying it. "Uncle ine, Ava said you''d pretend it doesn''t hurt. If it does, just say so. I promise I won''tugh—I''ll even blow on it to make it better!"


    ine: ".


    He threw a nce at Selena. "Seriously, can you fire your Ava?"


    Selena pulled up a chair, sat down, and rolled her eyes. "I''d kick you out of the Irwin family before I''d ever let Ava go."


    ine feigned being hurt. "Still cracking jokes, huh? You nearly lost your life."


    Selena felt a mix of fear and annoyance. "Well, I''m still here, aren''t I? Don''t worry, I''m tough as nails. Even the grim reaper wouldn''t dare mess with me."


    "Yeah, troublemakers like you stick around forever, don''t they?"


    After making sure he was okay, Selena grabbed an apple and started peeling it slowly. With a casual air, she asked, "So, what are you going to do about Alexa?"


    Since the incident had been kept under wraps, the decision was up to ine. Selena was hoping to plead Alexa''s case.


    Even though they hadn''t spent much time together, Selena felt there might be more to Alexa''s actions,


    and she saw a bit of her younger self in her. It tugged at her heartstrings.


    More importantly, she hoped ine wouldn''t let bitterness consume him and that


    he could find his way back to normalcy.


    When Alexa''s name came up, ine''s smile vanished, and his face turned serious. He dodged the question and focused on yfully chatting with Mateo instead.


    But Selena wasn''t giving up. "ine, let her go Keeping someone who doesn''t want to be with you only hurts you both. You''ll just keep spinning in this cycle of pain


    en


    "Do you really want to spend your life filled with hate?"


    inezily lifted his gaze, his eyes cold. "Did Alexa put you up to this?"


    Selena shook her head. "No, she didn''t say a word. I just think it''s the right thing to do."


    "Selena, who''s your real family here? Why are you taking her side? Don''t forget, it was the Hodge family that caused us all this grief, tore us apart, and threw us into chaos. Are you just going to brush that off?"


    Selena took a deep breath. "ine, you''ve already gotten your revenge. The


    Hodge family is gone isn''t that enough?"


    She paused, locking eyes with ine, her words deliberate, "Unless, you still have feelings for Alexa, and that''s why you won''t divorce her!"