Chapter 11 His Message

• Amanda
• Noel stared at me for a long moment, and I could feel the weight of his gaze as I quietly picked at my food. I knew what he saw — a woman dressed too simply for her usual self, my long hair lazily pinned back, not a trace of makeup on my pale skin. I must have looked as lifeless as I felt.
• There was a kind of silent pity in his eyes that made me squirm. It was like he knew — like he could see right through me, to all the pieces of me that were breaking inside.