**Elena**
“The fact that Xavier never even tried to find out why I wore the mask…” My voice was low, but the bitterness slipped through. “He never asked. Not once.”
Nick paused beside the hospital bed. “You still think about that?”
I looked away. “How can I not? All this time... I thought maybe he saw me. Even a little. But he didn’t. I was standing right in front of him and still... invisible.”
“Elena…” Nick’s voice softened. “I don’t know what’s going on with Xavier. I don’t even think he knows. But you—” He hesitated, then sighed. “You’ve been through enough.”
I shifted slightly, the pillow pressing against my back. A dull ache bloomed in my stomach. I gritted my teeth, ignoring it. It had been there since I woke up. The emptiness, the throbbing, the silence in my body where there
