Hazel’s POV
I woke up sometime in the middle of the night. The room was dark except for a thin sliver of moonlight slipping through the curtains.
I sat up slowly, rubbing my eyes, and looked toward the couch.
Nicholas was lying there awkwardly, one leg hanging off the side, his big body barely fitting on the narrow piece of furniture. His head was tilted at an uncomfortable angle, and even in sleep his face looked tense, like he was still carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
For some strange reason, I felt bad for him.
If everything he told me was true—and the bond kept whispering that it was—then it must have been hell for him. Watching me for three years, pretending he didn’t love me, pushing me away to keep me safe. Bleeding inside every single day while I hated him m
