THIRD POV
The moment Helen stepped into her room, she quietly closed the door behind her.
The smile she had been wearing downstairs disappeared instantly.
She set the grocery bags on a nearby chair and released a slow breath.
Then another.
The headache was back.
Not that it had ever truly left.
It had only been waiting.
Growing worse with each passing day.
Helen moved quickly toward her dresser.
The moment she reached it, she planted both hands against the surface and stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her face looked normal.
Mostly.
If someone glanced at her for only a second, they would never notice anything was wrong.
But Helen knew better.
She saw the exhaustion hiding beneath her eyes.
The unnatural paleness she had become increasingly skilled at concealing.
And
