Chapter 54

• Mason's POV
• I watch her draw back, not physically, but emotionally. Her eyes go wide. Her mouth opens like she’s going to respond, but then she closes it again. Her breathing shifts. I hear it before I even see it. Too quick. Too shallow.
• “He doesn’t understand,” she whispers. The words aren’t for Theo. They’re not even for us. It’s like she’s saying them to herself, like she’s trying to remind herself of something before she forgets.