Elena's POV
"Three places, you said."
I kept my voice steady, though my pulse hammered hard enough that I was certain he could hear it, that impossible hearing of his picking up every unsteady beat the same way it always did. "Which three?"
"The photo. No history before it. And a mother who supposedly works retail, but nothing about where." He said it gently, without accusation, his hand still wrapped around mine. "I'm not trying to corner you, Elena. I told you that yesterday, and I meant it. I just need you to know I've noticed, so that whatever you decide to tell me, it isn't because you think I haven't."
The kindness of it cut deeper than suspicion would have. I sat with it for a long moment, weighing exactly how much truth I could afford to give him without unraveling everything e
