~Elsie's POV
I was lying on the bed when the door opened softly, and I did not even need to turn fully before I knew who it was. It was Salvatore's mother. There was a kind of quiet heaviness she carried with her lately, like she was always thinking about something she could not fix.
She stepped in slowly and paused near the bed before sitting down beside me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
"How are you feeling now?" she asked gently.
I shifted a little on the bed, adjusting the blanket around me.
"I am getting better," I said quietly, and it was not a full lie, but it was not fully the truth either.
She nodded like she understood that kind of answer. Then she looked down at her hands for a second before speaking again.
"I am sorry," she said, her voice lower now. "For how I treated you before. I'm really sorry, Elsie."
I did not know what to say to that, so I just nodded slowly. It felt easier than trying to explain anything.
