MasukSome secrets are kept in the dark. Others are screamed into the pillow. Aubrey "Yuna" Vance is a girl living a double life. To the students at Dam’s College, she’s the quiet, studious wallflower. But behind the closed doors of her mother’s new mansion, she is a voyeur, haunted by the rhythmic sounds of her stepfather’s bedroom and the shadow of a stepbrother who knows her every shameful habit. Jake Thomas is the billionaire athlete-turned-coach who built an empire on discipline. He’s the man who saved Aubrey’s mother from poverty, but to Aubrey, he is a walking temptation, a "hunk of a man" whose every glance feels like an intrusion. Then there is Drake, Thomas’s son. A popular biker with a cruel streak and a mountain of blackmail. He’s caught Aubrey at her weakest, and his price for silence is her total submission. When the school’s golden boy, Brendan, enters the fray with a public declaration of love, the fragile peace in the Thomas household shatters. Aubrey is no longer just watching; she’s being hunted. Between a stepfather who hides a mistress and a dark desire for his stepdaughter, and a stepbrother who wants to claim her out of pure spite or the sweet golden boy Brendan in which the world will be very much willing to accept but Aubrey is drowning in a sea of forbidden heat. In a house where the walls are thin and the secrets are thick, Aubrey must decide: Will she play the "good girl" for the world, or will she surrender to the noiseless dreams that keep her wet and awake at night?
Lihat lebih banyakZia Scott tightened her grip on the bouquet of lilies as the sound of her beating heart was trying to devour her whole system. Her hands were trembling, the red aesthetic on her lips were starting to dry. With her slight movement, the silver sequins on her white gown gleamed as it reflected the sunlight. She felt restless.
She could barely stand still as her sweat dripped on her forehead and her weakening legs underneath the heavy dress. She had lost count of how many times she repeated the breathing exercise to calm herself down. And given the situation, she was reminded about the time when she gave the valedictorian speech back in high school. She hates attention. But here she is now, about to be stared at by about a hundred sets of eyes in the next two minutes.
Looking past her veil, she noticed that the people crowding in front of her slowly disappeared past the wide door. Hearing the faint orchestra and singing hinting her queue to come in, she slowly moved closer to the door.
Her shoulders rose as she took another deep breath. When the door finally reopened, a cool breeze passed her face, as if to punch her nervousness away. And as the song reached the climax, she started to walk down the aisle of petals. Everyone stood as the star of the day entered. Even as the sunlight shone on the massive chandeliers and stained glass on the church's windows, everyone couldn't take their eyes away from her. After all, no other jewel shone brighter than her smile.
Taking her steps slowly, she could see expressions she had never seen before from people she had known for decades. Her highschool and college friends and professors projecting the sweetest smiles she had seen in their faces for the first time, her tough and badass best friend, Gray Stewart, crying even when she didn't cry when she once failed a subject in college. Zia's mother was sniffing, trying to hold her tears in in order to not ruin her makeup she had spent hours trying to put on. She had stayed inside instead of escorting Zia in, for she had promised her late father that role and her mother respected that. And Edward Bartlett.
The man that brought colors into her life and the one that will be with her to discover new ones. The teacher that taught her how to love herself, the captain that navigated her past the big waves of life, the doctor that healed her broken soul, the lawyer that sided with her through thick and thin, the policeman that kept her far away from danger, and the lover that cherished her deeply. Was her neighbor, friend, classmate, boyfriend, fiance and now her groom, soon to be her husband and father of their future offspring.
As she stood before him, Edward's shoulders trembled as tears escaped his eyes. "You look beautiful," he whispered as he took her hand.
"I know." Zia smirked, which stopped Edward's crying and made him chuckle.
As Edward had finished reciting his wedding vow, the minister turned to Zia.
"Zia Scott, repeat after me," the minister said, holding a page from the book he was holding. "I, Zia..."
Zia gazed into Edward's emerald eyes. "I, Zia..."
"...take thee, Edward..."
"...take thee, Edward..."
"...to be my lawfully wedded husband..."
"...to be my lawfully wedded husband..."
"...to have and to hold..."
"...to have and to hold..."
"...from this day forward..."
"...from this day forward..."
"...for better or for worse..."
"...for better or for worse..."
"...for richer or for poorer..."
"...for richer or for poorer..."
"...in sickness and in health..."
"...in sickness and in health..."
"...to love and to cherish..."
"...to love and to cherish..."
"...till time do us part."
"Time?," Zia thought to herself. "Isn't it supposed to be death?"
"Zia?" The minister tried to get her attention, seeing that she'd spaced out.
"Till time do us part," Zia continued and curved up a smile as she met the green hues in Edward's eyes.
BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP
Along with a sudden beeping, a white flash appeared out of nowhere. Zia closed her eyes to the piercing rays of light devouring the place.
"Ughhh." Zia groaned as she opened her eyes to the sunlight hitting her sapphire eyes.
BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP BEEP BEEEEEP
Still half awake, she struggled to reach her hand for the phone to turn off the 7 AM alarm. When she did so, she closed her eyes. After enjoying a momentary silence, she opened her eyes again. "Oh, yeah, today's the big day."
She sat up from her bed and her eyes met the white gown she hung on her closet's door. An off-shoulder gown with long lace sleeves and shimmering silver sequins on the skirt with a long train that drags on the floor. It was a gown that her mother had sewn herself.
Still feeling sluggish, she crawled out of the bed. "Ow," she exclaimed as she fell down and felt as if she fell down from a table.
"Was the bed that high?" she thought to herself, eyes barely opening. She immediately brushed off the thought and continued to crawl her way towards the closet.
Sitting on the floor in front of the closet, she tugged on the gown, still too tired to stand up. As the gown fell on her lap, the hanger landed on her head. "Ow." She scratched her head. "Why am I so unlucky today?" Then her eyes shifted on the white gown in front of her and she automatically smiled from ear to ear. "Whatever, I'm the luckiest woman today."
She finally stood up and held her gown up, but half of the gown was still lying on the floor. "Why is it suddenly so long? Did mom adjust my gown yesterday?"
As uneasiness began to knock on her mind, she unzipped the gown and tried it on over the loose shirt that she was wearing. But to her surprise, the gown was awfully loose on her and her feet were only on the waist level of the gown. "What's going on?" Her eyes quivered as her mind was full of questions.
"I should call mom." She turned behind to walk towards the phone, but she tripped on the seemingly big gown. "Oww." She groaned and touched her face that fell flat on the floor. But instead of her hand, a tiny hand reached for her face. She fell back in surprise. "What was that?!" Her lips trembled as she scanned her room. And then a figure in the mirror caught her attention. It was of a little girl in a gown which was obviously not her size with a baffled expression on her face.
"Who are you?" Zia shouted, but as she moved her lips, so did the little girl's lips reflected on the mirror. And then she touched her throat. "Wait, I just realized my voice is suddenly high-pitched...like a child's."
As confused as she was, she crawled towards the mirror. And as she drew closer, so did the little girl. Then she touched the mirror with her hand, and the tiny hand that surprised her earlier had appeared once again.
She looked at the hand and held up the other one. She moved the joints as she instructed in her mind and as she stared into the little girl in the mirror, it stared back at her sapphire eyes. Only then did the surreal realization come to her head.
"I turned into a little girl?!"
The hall was filled long before the ceremony began.Rows of black gowns and square caps stretched across the auditorium like a quiet sea, restless with anticipation. Parents leaned forward in their seats, cameras ready. Professors whispered among themselves. The air carried that unmistakable mixture of pride, relief, and the trembling uncertainty that comes with the end of one life chapter and the beginning of another.At the front of the hall, beneath the golden seal of the university, sat the graduating class.Among them I sat, Aubrey Yuna scribbled on my gown.I sat still, hands folded in my lap, my fingers lightly touching the small silver cross that hung around my neck. The metal had warmed against my skin over the past few years, worn smooth by quiet prayers, late night tears, and long moments when I wondered how a life that once felt so irredeemably ruined could still be standing here.It’s been four years.Four years since the
He stood awestruck, his leg pinned to the ground. I knew his mind was riling, a stockpile of many questions he needed answers to.Have you forgiven me for ruining your life? Can you forgive me for ignoring you for four score seasons? Can you forgive me for abandoning you? Can an old man like me deserve a chance at love for once in his life? How do I convince you that it wasn’t all about a dead Evelyn but was you all along?I could feel the questions thumping loudly as my chest clasped against his. I couldn’t bear it anymore. The piled up nostalgia, deep longing and desperation peeling away. Then the tears that wouldn’t keep still tore through my eyes parting the sea of heavy makeup I had on.Then a wave of electric shock tore through my spine as I felt his hands on the small of my back. He held on too tight that I had to fight for my breath but he was all the breath I needed, the oxygen I thought I could thrive on. I stepped
"Because he’s tired, Aubrey. Tired of being 'noble'. Tired of pretending that saving the world makes up for losing the only person who actually knows him."Drake finally held out the notebook. "He wrote this for you. Over the last four years. He told me to give it to you after you graduated, but... I’ve always been bad at following his rules."I took the notebook, my fingers brushing the cool leather. It smelled like him."I realised Aubrey, I wasn't in love with you, I always wanted to tell you these past four years...I just loved the idea that you always looked at me and I didn't want you looking at someone else the way you looked at me."He continued, "Or maybe I thought it was me." He laughed, "I deluded myself into thinking it should always be me." He said smiling while I smiled too looking at the notebook in my hand. "I don't mind you becoming my stepmother...I won't mind...Jake deserves to be happy. He deserves
Years passed by so fast that I'm finally graduating from school with my friends Seraphina and Gina."Help me cut my hair," I said as I settled into the salon chair. My long, dark tresses spilled over the back of the seat."All of it?" the stylist asked, her eyes widening."All of it. Short. I want to change my looks, to see a different side of myself," I replied."As you wish..."As the scissors made the first sharp snip, I closed my eyes. It had been four years since the day the world exploded. Four years since Cynthia was sentenced to life without parole, and Vance was dragged back into the shadows of a high-security cell. Four years since I watched the headlines shift from my scandal to my survival. Four years since I've tried to reach Jake but no reply. But I hear his scores, he had started a movement of helping every victim of Cynthia's. I occasionally see him on the news struggling to redeem himself, that I can't help but smile so
"Oh My God! Aubrey, how can you say that!""Then what do you want me to say? Deny it! Deny that I'm not your child.""Aubrey, what is all this about? I carried you in my womb for nine months and birth you, what are
"Help me?" I asked, not believing my ears. "You call what you're doing help? You’ve been hovering like a shadow, poking into things that—""Did you check the beautiful secret that I told you to check?" she interrupted, her eyes snapping with a sudden
She was standing in the center of the floor, her hand still raised, facing a woman I knew so well that she'd be confronting at the moment. My smile came quite fast before I actually saw Ms. Illya standing helplessly as my mother raged, her hand seemed to have just left
"So you really love him?" Stephanie asked. She wasn't shouting. She was just... observing.I couldn't meet her eyes. I just nodded."It took a lot for you to tell us, didn't it?" Stephanie sighed, leaning back. "At least I know one thing, if we weren't important to you, you would have taken this s












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