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Elena always felt like a toy whenever the Salvatore brothers started arguing and ignored her as if she weren't right in front of them. In those situations, they absolutely couldn't hear her voice and paid no attention to her opinion. So when she was convinced that Stefan and Damon weren't going to listen to her, she ran away from their house. No matter how much she yelled at them or cried, to them she remained a copy of the girl they once loved. Maybe they didn't love her at all. Maybe Stefan didn't love her, just her face. It broke her heart.
When she arrived home and locked herself in her room, she saw a familiar figure.
"What's wrong?" the man asked with a concerned expression on his face. His hand touched her face as she started to cry. She shook her head as if to say she was fine. But he insisted again.
"I hate them," she replied in a broken voice.
When he gently embraced her, she didn't resist. She wanted to be heard, not treated like a toy. So she hugged Elijah. She realized now that Mikaelson had always respected her.