I could look at your face for a lifetime without getting bored. The door was pushed open and a petite figure got in. All the eyes in the room turned towards her. Pearl walked inside and stood before them. She looked confident and there was not a single expression of fear or anxiety on her face. " Pearl, you shouldn't be here " Daniel stepped forward and held her hand. " How are you feeling? " Mister Ashbluff looked at his son, shocked. He couldn't believe, his son was showing so much concern and affection towards a woman. It was the first time he saw him like this. Lucas rolled his eyes at them. " I am fine " Pearl smiled. Mister Whitlock looked at the girl before him carefully. She was beautiful and her innocent blue eyes were shining like stars. No wonder his son liked her. Mister Whitlock turned towards his son. He saw him staring at her. " Aren't you going to talk to her? " Lucas glared at him. He was already frustrated. " So, you are Pearl Hart? " Mister Ashbluf
Pearl's eyes met with Daniel's. She froze in her spot. Her brain turned blank. Lucas saw her staring at the door and he followed her eyes and turned towards the door. He found Daniel standing there. His hands were tightly clenched into a fist. His face showed only one expression. The expression of hurt. " Da.. Daniel.. Pearl stood up and moved closer to him. " It's.. It's not what you think " Daniel continued to stare at Lucas. He never once looked at her. He stood there as if he had not seen her at all. " Daniel.. He pushed her hand back which was going to touch him. Pearl looked at him with tears in her eyes. She had no idea what she was thinking earlier. She couldn't have stopped him, but she didn't. " Get a chill pill bro. It's was just a kiss " Lucas smirked. He knew he was getting on his nerves. Daniel grabbed him by his collar and the two of them started punching and kicking each other once again. Pearl held her head in her hand. She could have prevented this all
Even when you are gone I feel you close, you'll always be the one I love the most. Lucas stared at the frame with teary eyes. He missed his mother everyday, but something was different about today. He missed her so much. Maybe because he felt really alone today. It was night time and Lucas finally opened his door. He came down dressed in his t-shirt and pants. " Uncle brown, what's for dinner? " " It's your favourite chicken, young master " Uncle brown smiled. He was very happy today. Lucas seldom returned to this villa and today was one of the few lucky days that he came back. " So, should I order them to bring dinner for you? " Uncle brown rubbed his hand. He was very excited. " I will wait until father arrives " Uncle brown nodded his head. " Yes yes " He was happy that he wanted to eat with his father. Finally the father and son will spend some time together. Lucas sat on the couch and picked up the tv remote. He changed channels after channel. He finally got a movie
“Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,Tears from the depths of some divine despairRise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,In looking on the happy autumn fields,And thinking of the days that are no more.”― Alfred Lord Tennyson Flashback from nine years ago :- " Daniel, do you know noodles are made up of worms and earthworms " Daniel stopped eating. He looked down at his bowl of noodles with disgust. " Really? " He turned his face towards the boy beside him. " Are they really worms? " Lucas nodded. " Yes " " But they don't taste like them " Daniel was lost in his thoughts. He looked confused. " How do you know how worms taste? "Daniel nodded his head. He was right; he didn't know how they tasted. " You are right. I should not eat them now " Daniel pushed his bowl away. He looked disgusted. " But you know, if you share it with others it will no longer be worms " Daniel's eyes glowed. He looked at him with his innocent eyes. " Luc, let's eat together then "
Sometimes we do certain things which we were sure of not doing. The Alarm kept on ringing on her phone. Pearl stretched her arms and stopped it. She pulled her blanket and woke up from her sleep. She stretched her arms above her head. Pearl picked up her phone to check on the time. Its screen displayed 5 am. She yawned, putting her phone down. She studied till late last night. She pulled herself out of her soft bed and pushed herself towards her bathroom. She entered the bathroom and brushed her teeth. After that she took a warm shower to relax her body. After scrubbing and washing up for some time she finally got out of her bathroom wrapped in a towel. She picked up a clean set of her school uniform. Fifteen minutes later she was dressed in her uniform. She sat down before the dressing table and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She picked up a comb and started brushing her hair. She pulled them up in a ponytail. She took her bag and threw it over her shoulder. After lo
" It’s hard to wait around for something that you know might never happen. But it’s even harder to give up when you know it’s everything you want. " " Let's go to cafeteria " Anastasia grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the classroom. " I am really hungry, you know " Pearl informed. They made their way towards the cafeteria. " Let's sit here " Pearl dragged a chair and sat down. She picked up her fork and dug in. Anastasia sat beside her. " Ladies, can I squeeze in? " Daniel sat besides Pearl. He looked at the girl before him. Pearl pretended she didn't see him staring. She continued eating. " Big brother, did you guys fight? " Anastasia was done with guessing. She wanted to know what was wrong with them. Pearl raised her head to look at her. " Big brother? " Anastasia nodded. " He is my cousin " Pearl looked at Daniel. She saw him nod. " You never told me " Pearl chuckled. She then realised something. " Your last name is the same! " " Yeah " Anastasia chuck
" I love you Pearl… Lucas whispered against her neck. He had no idea when his hatred for her turned into love. How did he fall for her and why? He hated seeing her with someone else. He hated seeing hatred and fear in her eyes for him. He doesn't want her to fear him. He wanted to love her and protect her. " I don't know when I started having feelings for you, but now I have no control over my emotions. " He pulled her closer. He raised his head to look at her. " I am sorry to bully you. I would never do it again. I will protect you at every cost and no one will dare to raise their eyes at you. you will be feared by everyone if you say yes to me " He cupped her cheeks. Pearl looked at him with her empty eyes. She looked at him as if he had lost his mind. " Stop playing around " She tried to push him back. " I am serious " Lucas grabbed her hand which was trying to push him. " I have never been so serious in my life " Pearl looked at him. She was speechless. " Wha.. What
" Haha.. It was mistake, you know " Aaron laughed awkwardly. Pearl glared at him. She was so frustrated. What was wrong with her? This was one of the most unlucky days for her. " Which class are you from? " He looked at the girl before him. She was cute. She glared at him with her big innocent eyes. " Pearl Hart, year one class B " " Oh " Aaron nodded. Pearl wanted to cry. She was really annoyed. " Pearl! " She heard a voice calling for her. It was filled with concern. Daniel rushed to her. He saw her lying on the bed. " What's wrong? Are you okay? " He checked her. " Yes, I am fine " " How did it happen? " Daniel asked, pointing to her head. Her forehead was red. " I got hit by a ball. He was the one who kicked it " She raised her hand and pointed at Aaron. Daniel finally realised that there was someone else with her. He turned his face towards him. When his eyes fell on the boy sitting beside her he was shocked. He paused and looked at him again. " Aaron? " " H
It had been a week. Seven days of pretending to be Pearl. Of swallowing down the truth like a secret that might rot me from the inside out. No one noticed. Not really. They still called me by the name that wasn’t mine. Still treated me like the girl who arrived at the academy dazed and forgetful. Still saw the version of me they expected to see. But I saw it. In the mirror. In the way I stood. The way my voice had softened, lilting into the same cadence Rosie used to have when she whispered to the stars from her bedroom window. I saw it in the way my fingers reached up—absent, automatic—to tuck my hair behind my ear whenever I was nervous. Just like she used to do. Just like I used to do. Rosie was slipping out of me like light through cracked glass, and I didn’t know how to stop it. And Lucas… he noticed something. I could feel it. He didn’t say anything. But I’d catch him staring sometimes, brow creased in that quiet, careful way of his—like he was trying to
And I screamed and screamed as loud as I can to stop the voices in my head, to hush them from consuming me entirely. The room was pitch-black, but I could still see the flames. Still hear the screech of tires, the shattering glass, the last words my mother ever said to me—Rosie, close your eyes. And I had. For years. But now they were open. Wide open. And everything hurt. The door slammed open. I barely had time to breathe before he was there—Lucas, heart in his throat, panic in his eyes. “Pearl!” He was at my side, hands cupping my face like I might vanish. “What happened? Are you okay?” I couldn’t speak. Not right away. Because looking at him felt like bleeding. He was older now. Broader. More haunted. But he still had the same eyes—the ones that used to look at me like I was his world. Not Pearl. Rosie. And that was the part that shattered me most. He was holding me like I was someone else. Like I was a girl with a different name, a different story. But I
The candlelight is low. Flickering. Dying. I walk barefoot down a hallway lined with mirrors—dozens of them, tall and arched, gilded in gold that’s flaking away. The floor is marble, but my footsteps don’t echo. It’s like the air itself is swallowing the sound. Heavy. Watching. My dress clings to me, unfamiliar. Pale gold, stitched with roses. I don’t remember putting it on. Everything smells like rosewater and smoke. I pause beside a mirror. My reflection stares back, but there’s something off. I lean closer. The tilt of my head, the shape of my mouth, the line of my shoulders—it’s all right, and yet… wrong. Like I’ve seen this face on someone else. It’s me. Of course it’s me. But my stomach tightens. I force myself to look away. That’s when I see him. Daniel, standing at the far end of the corridor, dressed in black, shadows curled around his shoulders like a cloak. He holds a bouquet of roses—blackened, wilting, soaked in something that drips down his wrist.
I press the phone to my ear and glance at the stars. The rooftop is cold beneath me, slates hard against my back. The wind carries that soft chill that always makes me feel like something’s about to shift.My mom’s voice comes through the speaker, warm and clipped with concern.“You sound tired, sweetie. Are they overworking you again?”I let out a breath—half a laugh, half exhaustion.“No, it’s fine. Just a lot of assignments.”A pause.“And late-night walks,” I almost add. “And watching someone unravel.” But I don’t.She hums thoughtfully. I can hear her stirring something, probably tea. Home always sounds like comfort.“Have you made any new friends yet? You never talk about anyone there.”I hesitate, then lie.“Yeah. A few.”She doesn’t press. She never does. Maybe she thinks I’m just quiet. Or maybe she’s learned not to dig when I’m like this—floating somewhere far away from where my body is.“Your father says hi,” she says. I can hear him grumbling in the background, something a
I’ve always hated mirrors.They show too much. Too honestly.But now—Now, I can't stop staring.The girl in the glass tilts her head. She’s beautiful in that haunting, aristocratic way. Rosie Miller’s beauty was always cold, like marble warmed by candlelight.And now… it’s mine. Mother did everything so that I look like her. The cheekbones took two surgeries. The lips were easy—subtle filler and muscle memory. I even learned how she blinked. Slowly. Like she knew the world would wait for her.I lean in, brushing a lock of black hair behind my ear, her signature habit. I trace the light scar at my neck. A perfect replica from her dead body.Rosie was always the star. The one with the spotlight in her eyes. The chosen daughter. The heir. The girl people died for.But she’s dead now.And I’m not.I trace the curve of my jaw with one finger, still bruised faintly under the skin where the bone was shaved. Months of healing. Years of training. Voice lessons. Diary entries memorized. Even
The wind clawed at the windows like it was trying to warn me. I stood at the edge balcony leaning against the railing. Below, the ocean was bathed in silver moonlight, still and too perfect. A lie, like everything else lately. The moon hung low tonight, pale and sharp-edged. Pearl would say it looked like a blade. My phone buzzed once on the table. The number flashed. Cale. I snatched it up. “Report.” “Sir,” he said, voice crisp, but edged with something else. Hesitation. “ I have the report .” The cold that slid through me wasn’t a surprise—it was confirmation. I said nothing. Just waited. “She’s not Rosie,” he continued. “… she’s not the one who died in that accident.” I closed my eyes. My chest didn’t rise. I was stone now. “I had to dig deep, sir. Most of the records were burned or erased, but a few medical files survived in private storage. Enough to run a sequence. And... it matched someone else.” “Who?” My voice came out hoarse, like it hadn’t been used in days. “He
Apollo whined softly as I knelt beside him, his blue eyes watching me with quiet protest. His paw pressed against the doorframe like he understood what it meant—that he couldn’t follow me past this point. “I know,” I whispered, running a hand gently down the sleek curve of his back. “I don’t like it either. " He nuzzled my wrist, and I swallowed hard. “I’ll be back after classes, then we'll go back home, alright? You’ll be safe here.” My voice sounded too sure. Like I was convincing myself more than him. He tilted his head, ears flicking at some distant sound, but stayed close—refusing to move from the doorway. “I have to go,” I said, brushing my thumb just under his chin, where the fur was softer. “You know the rules. No panther cubs allowed in Elite Garden’s holy halls.” my phone ringed again, I looked down it was Lucas calling me. " yes, I am coming. ” That almost earned a huff from him. Almost. I smiled down at him. " it's your dad, the classes are going to start
The engine purred beneath my hand, smooth and obedient like always. The car was built for silence and speed—one of my father’s more useful indulgences. Black exterior, sleek leather interior, the kind of vehicle that announced your presence before you ever stepped out of it. Pearl sat beside me, legs crossed at the ankle, eyes on the window. The early morning light painted the world gold, but she didn’t seem to notice it. She hadn’t said much all morning. I kept one hand on the wheel, the other resting near the gearshift, close enough to brush against her thigh if I reached. I didn’t. Music played softly in the background, something mellow she usually liked. She didn’t hum along like she used to. I stole a glance at her. Eyes open, but distant. Her fingers were curled in her lap, nails tracing the lines of her skirt like she was trying to count something she couldn’t name. She looked tired—not the kind of tired that sleep fixed. The kind that lived in the bones. “You okay?” I
The next morning, I move like nothing happened. I pour coffee, feed Apollo, fold a blanket left on the couch. Lucas is in the shower, and I can hear the water running upstairs like white noise. Safe. Familiar. Grounding. But every now and then—just in the gaps between movements—I feel it again. The weight. Not heavy enough to drag me down, but just enough to notice. Like walking through air that's a little too still. Like forgetting what you were doing mid-sentence. Like something watching from the corners, but only when you don’t look directly. I tell myself I’m fine. And mostly, I am. But the dream clings. Not in vivid images—those faded as soon as I woke—but in texture. In the way I flinch when the kettle whistles. In the way I glance at the kitchen doorway without meaning to. In the way Apollo follows me from room to room, tail low, eyes tracking the corners of the ceiling as if he remembers too. I don’t tell Lucas. I make him breakfast. I brush my fingers throug