(Matteo's POV)Something told me Elena was hiding something; I had learned the smallest changes in her over the past months: the way she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear when she was anxious, how she smiled without showing her teeth when she was pretending everything was fine, how silence became her refuge whenever the truth frightened her. For nearly a week she had been quieter than usual, present, kind, affectionate, but somewhere else entirely. Every conversation felt like she was carrying a thought she couldn't put into words, and every time I asked, she answered the same way. "I'm just tired." I wanted to believe her. Instead I found myself praying more than sleeping. Saturday evening arrived with another parish fundraiser. The church courtyard buzzed with laughter, children chasing one another between folding tables while elderly couples debated whose homemade biscotti deserved first prize. I stood near the entrance greeting parishioners, smiling, blessing children,
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