Chapter 4

The walk home felt longer than usual. My legs were heavy, and my mind wouldn’t stop replaying what happened in that empty classroom. Lucian’s warm hand on my breast, the way his voice sounded when he told me he craved me… I shivered even though the evening air was warm. I missed it already. I missed him. But fear sat heavier in my stomach. Mia had seen us. Or at least enough to make that chilling promise.

I pushed open the front door of our house, expecting chaos. Instead, the smell of Mom’s famous chicken stew greeted me. Normal. Almost comforting.

“I’m home,” I called softly.

Mia was already at the dining table, helping Mom set plates. She looked up and gave me a bright, perfect smile. “Hey, sis. How was the rest of your day?”

I froze in the doorway. This was the Mia everyone else saw the charming, loving twin. Mom beamed at both of us. “My beautiful girls. Come sit. Dinner’s ready.”

I sat down slowly, watching Mia across the table. She passed me the bowl of stew without a word, her expression calm. Too calm. We ate in relative peace. Dad talked about his workday, Mom asked about school projects. Mia chatted normally about her friends and an upcoming group assignment. No snide comments. No hidden jabs about my weight or my “disgusting curves.” She even asked me to pass the salt politely.

It terrified me.

Every time she smiled, I waited for the knife. But nothing came. The meal ended with Mom praising how well we were getting along lately. I helped clear the table in silence, my hands shaking slightly as I washed the dishes beside Mia.

Later that night, in our shared room (though Mia had made it very clear my side was “the messy one”), I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. Tears slipped down my cheeks quietly. I wiped them away, but more came.

What did I do to you, Mia? I thought. I’ve always loved you. Protected you when we were little. Shared everything with you. Why do you hate me so much just because of my body?

I cried myself to sleep like I did most nights, hoping tomorrow she might finally love me back the way sisters were supposed to.

The next day at school was even stranger.

I arrived early, braced for the usual. But my locker was clean. No new insults. No torn papers. My desk in homeroom was untouched. No spilled drinks, no gum stuck under the seat. The whispers were quieter today almost nonexistent. A few people even nodded at me in the hallway. It felt… wrong.

Where was the storm I was waiting for?

I sat through my morning classes in a daze. Lucian was there, of course. But he didn’t look at me. Not once. He sat with his usual group at the back, laughing with his friends like nothing had happened. When our eyes accidentally met during Literature, he quickly looked away. No secret smiles. No brushing hands. The empty seat beside me stayed empty.

I missed him. God, I missed his touch already. The memory of his fingers on my lip, on my breast, made my body ache in places I didn’t want to think about in class. I craved the way he made me feel seen. Desired. But I was also scared. Scared of what Mia would do if she caught us again.

Lunch was the same eerie calm. I sat at my usual corner table alone. No one bothered me. Mia walked past with her friends and didn’t even glance my way. It was too peaceful. The kind of quiet before something terrible happened.

By the end of the day, the anxiety had twisted into a tight knot in my chest. I packed my bag slowly, half expecting someone to knock it out of my hands. Nothing. I walked out of the main gate, the sun warm on my skin, but my thoughts were stormy.

What was Mia planning?

Why was Lucian suddenly avoiding me after telling me how much he wanted me?

And how long would this fake calm last before everything exploded again?

I headed toward the old oak tree behind the building my safe spot just to sit and breathe for a while. As I rounded the corner, I stopped short.

Lucian was already there, leaning against the trunk, hands in his pockets. He looked up when he heard me, his expression unreadable.

“Lily,” he said quietly.

My heart leaped, but fear held me back. I wanted to run to him. I wanted to run away.

Before I could decide, I heard footsteps behind me.