" I enjoyed talking to you,” she whispered softly. “I wanted to talk to you. But I was afraid if I drew your attention to me, you might . . . that is . . . I knew I could not marry you.” Could he hear regret in her voice? No, he didn’t want to hear that, did not want to believe the best about her or to think about her pain. "

― Melanie Dickerson , The Beautiful Pretender (A Medieval Fairy Tale, #2)