Ella’s POV
The smell of coffee lingered in the air when I heard the soft knock on the door. I had already been awake for a while, sitting by the small window, watching the sunlight slide between the buildings. My stomach twisted with both nerves and the kind of hunger that had nothing to do with food.
When I opened the door, Hans stood there dressed in another dark shirt, sleeves rolled to his elbows, and a wristwatch that caught the light when he moved. He was holding two takeaway cups and a paper bag.
“Good morning,” he said with that calm tone of his. “I hope I’m not too early.”
I shook my head. “No. I was already up.”
He handed me one of the cups. “Coffee. And something to eat. You will need it.”
I stepped aside to let him in. The apartment still smelled faintly of soap from my s
