Chapter 6: You're Safe

**Xavier**

The sudden silence bothered me. Why was she quiet?

“Why should I care?” I muttered as I walked past the room. Oh, who was I kidding? I entered the room, searching for her or maybe it was just another stunt by her.

A different yet familiar scent engulfed me. “Helena?” I called out. The sound of shattering glass was my only response.

I stepped into the bathroom and saw her lifeless body lying on the cold tiles.

“What the hell did you do?” I raised my voice as she struggled to mumble something beneath her breath.

The scent I had perceived when I entered had changed. She smelled nothing like Elena.

There were scattered pills on the floor.

“Did she try to kill herself?” I thought as panic set in.

“Get the car ready and call Nick,” I instructed the guards. Although her face was neatly covered by the mask, I could see that her eyes had turned red.

We arrived at the hospital in just a few minutes.

“I’ll take it from here, Your Highness,” Nick said.

“Wait!” I called out to him. “Don’t take off the mask, and do whatever you can to save her.”

Why did I even say that? Nevertheless, I watched as he and the other nurses rushed her into the emergency room.

My heart was racing, as if I was about to lose a part of myself. But why did Helena’s actions bother me?

No, I refused to get conflicted. My heart belongs to Elena; it’s just sympathy, I told myself, trying to justify my feelings.

“My King, I think you should return to the mansion, as it's quite late,” Nick said, bringing me back to reality.

“How is she?” I asked, searching for a positive response.

“She’s stable now. Thank the Moon Goddess you brought her in time; who knows what might have happened otherwise?”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, a knot forming in my stomach.

“It turns out she took an overdose of sleeping pills, and it affected her,” he explained. “She also seems to be under a lot of stress. I suggest she take things easy. But for now, she’s safe, so you can head back,” he continued.

“Can I see her?” I blurted out.

“You know what, never mind. I’ll send someone in when day breaks. Thank you, Nick,” I said, tapping his shoulder as I left.

But a part of me wanted to stay by her side. However, I felt like I would be betraying Elena. I couldn’t do that.

I considered leaving it alone. Let her heal and let everything bury itself in the past.

But something wouldn’t let me. A small, sharp feeling kept digging into me, like a splinter under the skin.

It wasn’t just the overdose. It wasn’t just the guilt.

It was her eyes. The fear I saw that night when she thought she would lose me. The way she flinched, as if she expected pain instead of touch.

Helena would never have looked at me like that. She wasn’t afraid of anything, least of all me.

I closed my eyes, fists clenched.

So why had she been so scared?

The way she moved, the way she smelled, even the way she trembled when I was too close... it didn’t add up.

It wasn’t Helena.

I knew it. I had known about it for a while now.

But if it wasn’t her... if it was Elena...

Then why the hell was she hiding? Who made her?

And worse, why didn’t she trust me enough to tell me the truth?

A bitter taste coated my tongue.

I needed answers. No more second-guessing. No more lying to myself.

At dawn, I was going back. And this time, I wasn’t leaving until I knew everything.

******

The sky was still dark when I pulled up to the hospital.

I didn’t wait for anyone. I moved through the hallways like a ghost, my footsteps soundless, my heart louder than ever.

Nick saw me and nodded silently, stepping aside.

I pushed open the door to her room.

There she was.

Lying still, like a broken doll someone had tossed aside. The soft beeping of the machines was the only proof she was still breathing.

My chest tightened.

I walked closer, stopping at the edge of the bed.

Her mask was still on, covering most of her face, but her messy, loose hair spilled across the pillow. Her hands were small and fragile. A bruise formed near her wrist where the IV was.

Should I remove the mask..No, I'm sure there's a reason why she's doing this to me.

I reached out without thinking.

My fingers brushed hers, cold and delicate.

She flinched in her sleep.

That tiny, helpless movement shattered something inside me.

What had been done to her?

Who had done this?

I curled my hand into a fist, pulling it back before I could do something stupid.

I wanted to demand answers. I wanted to shake the truth out of her. But one look at her face, at how pale and tired she looked, made me realize...

I couldn’t.

Not now.

She needed rest. She needed safety. No more questions. No more fear.

I pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down.

I would wait.

She stirred a little, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

I froze.

Without thinking, I reached out again, brushing a lock of hair from her forehead.

"You're safe," I whispered, the words barely audible even to myself.

She calmed almost instantly, her breathing evening out.

I sat there, watching her.

Protecting her.

Even if I didn’t know why. Even if she never told me.

I kept my thoughts to myself.

For now.

But this time, I wasn’t going to let it go.

I would find out the truth, even if it meant tearing down every lie she had built around herself.