Olivia's POV
I stood there… absolutely frozen.
My breath was not moving. My lips parted, but no sound came out.
Annabella was not done.
She wiped her cheek with her thumb, took a deep, shaky breath, and continued, her voice soft… but full of painful honesty.
"I have been in love with him, even in his unconscious state," she whispered. "For four years, Olivia. Four years of watching him suffer. Four years of talking to him even when he could not hear me."
My stomach twisted painfully.
She shook her head slowly. "But he does not know. He never knew. And even now, even if he finds out, he will never accept me."
She swallowed hard, staring at the bowl she was mixing.
"Because of you."
My heart thudded painfully in my chest.
Annabella laughed quietly, a broken, sad laugh. "Lennox loves you. He always has. Even when he was unconscious, even when he was half-dead, even when he woke up and you were not there, he still loved you."
Her fingers brushed under her eyes again.
