Aurora watched everything from a distance, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
'This Alana… she's really trying her best to look pitiful in front of me,' she mused inwardly, her eyes glinting with quiet mockery.
'And yet, she's the one drowning in her own act… how miserable.'
Meanwhile, Alana's fingers had long since curled into a tight fist, the faint sting grounding her rising impatience.
She had already dropped so many obvious hints, yet Aurora hadn't come to console her, hadn't even asked about the bruises she had so carefully displayed.
It felt wrong, too wrong.
'Did she notice something?'
The thought flickered through her mind before she abruptly forced herself to stop thinking further.
The next day, when Aurora arrived at the university, she had expected Alana to continue her pitiful performance, but instead, she saw her acting completely normal.
A soft smile rested on Alana's face, so natural that anyone else would have believed it without question.
