A plan to make Elena feel better

That morning, I woke up to an empty bed. I reached out instinctively, but all I felt were the cool sheets where Elena had been. I groggily blinked at the soft morning light filtering into our apartment before I remembered—she had an early morning shoot today.

I sighed, rolling onto my back and staring at the ceiling. Normally, waking up without her wasn't a big deal. We both had busy schedules, and sometimes our mornings didn't align. But after last night's conversation, something about her absence felt off.

She had been quiet. A little too quiet.

Even when she smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes. And the way she clung to me before going to bed… Yeah. She was definitely still thinking about it.

I sighed again, sitting up and running a hand through my hair. I hated seeing Elena like this. And since I couldn't exactly force her family to be decent human beings, I had to figure out another way to make her feel better.