SOPHIA’S POVCrystal University – Library“Sophia, can we talk?” Conrad’s voice came soft but too familiar behind me.I didn’t look up from the textbook I wasn’t even reading. My fingers flipped through pages aimlessly, the ink on the paper blurring under my steady gaze.“We’re already talking, Conrad. What do you want?” I muttered, trying to keep my voice even.We were standing in one of the quiet corners of the library, tucked between towering bookshelves. Only the occasional footsteps of students and the ticking wall clock kept the silence from becoming unbearable.“I just—did you get my message?” he asked, sounding more hesitant now.“I did,” I said flatly, finally closing the book and hugging it to my chest. “So?”“I wanted to talk… face to face. There’s been something on my mind. Something I heard.”Here it comes.“Let me guess,” I said with a faint sigh. “Someone told you I’m married?”He hesitated, then blinked rapidly. “So it’s true? You’re actually… married?”I looked up at
PENTHOUSE - VICTORIA'S APARTMENTThe night bled into the city with a golden glow, skyscrapers reflecting fractured light like jagged shards of a broken mirror. On the twentieth floor of a luxurious high-rise, Victoria stood at the edge of her floor-to-ceiling window, watching the city pulse like a living beast. Behind her, Thelma stepped into the room, her heels echoing softly on the marble floor. She was dressed in black from head to toe, her eyes bloodshot with unresolved fury. The embers of light, throwing shadows across the long scar that stretched from her cheek to her jawline. it wasn't just a scar—it was a reminder, a trophy of survival. And a reason for revenge."Did you get her today?" Thelma asked, voice low but strained. Her hands were clenched tightly by her side.Victoria didn’t look away from the city. She exhaled, releasing a lazy puff of smoke into the air. "What do you want to hear?""Victoria, I'm not in the mood for jokes," Thelma snapped, stepping closer."Then y
Sophia's POV MORANO'S MANSION – LEONARD'S ROOM "I love you, Leonard," I said softly, the words flowing from my lips like a balm against the storm in his eyes. I wanted to pull him out of the shadows, out of that place where fear tightened its grip around his heart. I wanted to save him from himself. Leonard lifted his face from where it had rested on my shoulder, eyes searching mine like he was looking for the last safe place on earth. "I love you too," he whispered, his voice raw. "I love you more than you can ever imagine." I smiled, but there was a flicker of something deeper in my eyes—an ache, a longing that hadn’t been quenched in days. "I waited for you," I said as I cradled his face. My thumb ran across the dark stubble on his cheek. "I don’t mind waiting, Leonard. Not if it means you come back… but please, come back with more than your body. Come back whole." "I know," he said, voice thick with emotion. "I’m here now." "You keep me waiting like I’m not the only thing yo
Sophia’s POVMORANO'S MANSION - LEONARD'S ROOM The rain had softened into a rhythmic drizzle, like a lullaby only the lonely understood. I stood by the window in Leonard’s room, arms wrapped around myself. The silk of my nightgown clung to my skin, and the firelight behind me cast a warm glow that flickered against the glass. Outside, the world was blurred—wet trees swayed and the distant hills faded into a grey hush. The chill in the air felt familiar. Almost like an old friend that always came when my heart was too heavy to rest.I didn’t move when I heard the door open and close behind me. Leonard never made noise when he returned. A part of me always knew when he was near—the air shifted, like it recognized him too."You’re still awake," he said quietly."Couldn’t sleep. You were gone longer than usual." I said, turning only slightly to acknowledge him.He didn’t respond immediately. I could hear him take off his watch, the faint metal clink against the dresser sounding louder th
Sophia’s POV Crystal University – Art Garden “Sophia!” Mercy’s voice rang out like a songbird echoing through the quiet breeze, just before she flung her arms around me in a jubilant hug. I nearly dropped my brush in surprise. My heart jerked slightly—not from fear, but from being pulled so suddenly out of my thoughts. “Mercy?” I blinked at her, startled. “You scared me.” “Good!” she chirped. “You need some shaking up because, girl, I have news! Big news!” I chuckled faintly at her usual dramatic flair. “You always have news. What is it this time?” Mercy plopped down beside me on the grass with all the energy of someone who had just won a lottery. “You’re not going to believe this…” she began, eyes gleaming. “Those three plastic-faced witches who poured soda all over your sketchpad last week?” “Elena, Tina, and Lina?” I asked, my voice automatically flattening as their names pulled an uncomfortable memory from the back of my mind. “Yes! Those three hyenas in glitter!” she hi
Sophia’s POV Crystal University, Art Garden “La-la-la…” The sound reached me before the footsteps did. A humming tune, faint and soft, floated in the distance like a feather drifting through the breeze. It wasn’t jarring or intrusive—it was gentle, almost melodic—but I didn’t look up. The wind rustled through the branches above, soft enough to whisper but not loud enough to disturb. I liked it here—under the crooked arms of the old eucalyptus tree that stood in the center of the Art Garden. It had been here long before I arrived at Crystal University, and I had the feeling it would still be here long after I was gone. Its bark was peeling in strips like stories half-told, and beneath its shade, I painted in silence. Charcoal strokes pulled tension into the canvas. The figure I was working on—blurred, faceless, fragmented—wasn't anything my professors had assigned. It came from somewhere deeper, some place that only opened in the quiet. My fingers moved in practiced rhythm,