The ride back home was quieter than the drive to the hill. Sienna sat in the passenger seat with the window slightly open, letting the cold air brush across her face, calming whatever storm she had carried earlier. Elena drove slowly, her fingers trembling softly on the wheel, but she kept her expression steady—calm, composed, older than her age for the first time.
The road lamps flickered across Sienna's face, revealing traces of worry and embarrassment hidden beneath her confidence. Elena didn't pry. She never did. Her heart ached quietly, but she swallowed the pain like it was something she had long learned to live with.
When they reached the mansion, the front door flew open before the car even stopped.
Adrian rushed out—hair messy from running his hands through it too many times, shirt slightly wrinkled, face pale with worry.
"Sienna!" he called as he hurried down the steps.
The moment she stepped out, he pulled her into a tight, relieved embrace.
Elena froze for a second, her breath catching in her throat. She forced herself to look away, busying herself with parking the car perfectly straight, pretending her chest didn't twist at the sight.
"I was so scared," Adrian whispered into Sienna's hair. "Don't ever do that again."
Sienna melted into his arms, holding him back just as tightly.
Over his shoulder, her eyes met Elena's.
A slow, satisfied smile spread on Sienna's lips as she mouthed:
See?
Elena nodded gently, offering a small supportive smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You two should stop fighting," she said softly, stepping closer. "Please. You both care so much about each other. Just… stay together. Talk. Fix it."
Sienna nodded, almost proudly.
And Adrian turned toward Elena with gratitude in his eyes—eyes she avoided immediately.
"Thank you for finding her," he said quietly.
"It was nothing," Elena murmured, already stepping back, creating space for them both. Her heart felt like it was folding inward, collapsing neatly the way a delicate paper swan could be crushed between careless fingers.
Inside the house, Sienna was whisked away by her father and the maids, all fussing over her. Adrian lingered in the hallway for a moment, glancing toward Elena as if wanting to say more.
She didn't let him.
"I'm going to sleep," Elena said quickly, her voice polite but distant. "Goodnight."
And she disappeared up the stairs before he could respond.
That night, Elena made a decision.
She would give them space.
Not because she wanted to.
But because she needed to.
Because her heart couldn't keep breaking every time she saw them together.
The next morning, she woke early—earlier than her usual habit of talking to birds and touching flowers. She dressed in soft pastels, tied her hair back, and stepped quietly outside to the garden before anyone else woke.
The sunrise painted the sky in shades of gold and pink, and the dew made the grass sparkle like tiny diamonds. She walked through the garden slowly, touching roses gently as if they were friends she needed comfort from.
And then she started working.
She dragged a small iron table beneath the blooming jasmine arch.
She carefully placed lanterns along the stone path.
She tied fairy lights across the branches.
She arranged fresh white lilies in crystal vases.
She placed cushions on the chairs, soft enough to make any evening feel magical.
She set candles in glass holders, ready to be lit at sunset.
Her friends watched from the porch, confused.
"Elena," Mia called softly, "why are you doing all this? "
Hannah stepped closer. "Are… you okay? "
Elena smiled, a fragile smile that cracked only inside, never outside. "Of course. I want them to have a beautiful night."
Olivia frowned. "You don't have to do this."
"I want to," Elena insisted. "They just need time together. And I… I don't want to come between them."
Her friends exchanged looks, but they didn't push her. They knew Elena's heart—gentle, giving, and too soft for a world like this.
As she continued decorating, tears stung her eyes, but she blinked them away before anyone saw.
Only the flowers witnessed her heartbreak.
When she was adjusting the lights, Adrian stepped into the garden silently. He watched her, surprise flickering across his face.
"Elena," he said softly, "you did all this? "
She didn't look up. "Yes."
"You didn't have to."
"I wanted to."
He stepped closer. "Thank you."
She nodded, keeping her focus on the candles. "You're welcome."
He waited, as if expecting her to continue—maybe to smile, maybe to tease him like yesterday, maybe to talk like they used to for brief seconds.
But Elena stayed quiet.
No blush.
No stutter.
No meeting his eyes.
Just silence.
Adrian hesitated, confused and slightly hurt without knowing why, before he eventually stepped back.
"Alright," he said quietly. "I'll… get ready for the evening."
She simply nodded again, her hands steady, her heart trembling beneath them.
By nightfall, the garden looked like a dream.
Soft lights twinkled among the flowers.
The sky was velvet dark.
Candles flickered gently in the warm evening breeze.
The scent of jasmine filled the air like a blessing.
Sienna arrived first, dressed in a gown of shimmering black, her hair curled beautifully over one shoulder. The moment she saw the setup, her eyes widened in genuine surprise.
"Elena," she breathed, "this is… breathtaking."
Elena smiled softly. "I'm glad you like it."
Sienna hugged her so tightly Elena felt her ribs press together. "Thank you. I mean it."
Adrian came next, wearing a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up, looking effortlessly handsome—of course.
When he saw the setup, something softened in his expression. "It's perfect."
Elena forced herself to keep smiling, even as her gaze dropped to the ground.
"You two should… enjoy," she whispered, stepping away.
Sienna grabbed Adrian's hand and pulled him toward the decorated table, excitement radiating from her.
Elena lingered at the edge of the garden for one last look.
Sienna was already talking animatedly, leaning close to Adrian, laughing loudly. Adrian listened, smiling politely, trying to focus on her words.
Elena turned away before she could see more.
She went upstairs, her steps slow and heavy.
Her room welcomed her with silence.
She closed the door gently, took a deep breath…
And let it all fall apart.
Her back slid down the door until she sat on the floor, knees pulled to her chest. Her heart throbbed painfully, a wound she'd created herself by loving where she shouldn't.
Tears spilled silently down her cheeks at first.
Then faster.
And faster.
Until her sobs filled the room—the first real sound she'd allowed her pain to make.
Why does it hurt like this?
Why him? Why now?
Why can't I stop feeling this way?
She buried her face in her hands.
Every moment replayed in her mind like a cruel movie—
The accident.
His worried voice.
The way he said her name in the hospital.
The way he watched her in the club.
The morning workout.
The tiny glances.
The way he always noticed her even when she wished he wouldn't.
And the fact that he belonged to Sienna.
Her chest tightened, and she clutched her shirt as if she could hold her heart together with trembling fingers.
She rocked slightly where she sat, trying to muffle her cries.
"I'm happy for them," she whispered into her knees. "I'm happy… I'm trying to be."
But the more she said it,
the more it broke her.
Outside her window, faint laughter drifted up from the garden—the gentle sound of Sienna and Adrian's voices blending with the night.
Elena closed her eyes in helpless agony.
And somewhere beneath her tears, one last painful truth whispered through her heart—
I wish I didn't love him.
The week that followed felt strange—almost unreal—because Elena had slowly become a ghost inside a home where she once moved softly but visibly.
She stopped lingering in the hallways.
She stopped greeting anyone with her soft morning "good."
She stopped staying in the living room, stopped waiting for meals at the big dining table, stopped existing in the spaces where she might accidentally meet Adrian's eyes again.
She came and went like a whisper.
Head down.
Books held close.
Shoes barely making a sound on the polished floors.
And no one really noticed—except Adrian.
Every day, he caught a glimpse of her at odd hours, like she was trying desperately to avoid being seen at normal ones. Some nights he heard her door open quietly long after everyone had gone to bed—maybe she had forgotten to eat again. Some mornings, he found the kitchen already spotless, a sign she had been there before sunrise.
But she never spoke.
Never smiled.
Never even made eye contact.
She simply existed like distance itself.
By the seventh day, Adrian found himself standing near the window upstairs, staring out at the long driveway, wondering why it bothered him so much. He didn't fully understand it—this odd ache of noticing her absence. This strange wrongness in the air whenever she wasn't around.
You shouldn't care, he told himself more than once. You love Sienna. You're planning a future. Everything is already decided.
And yet…
The feeling grew heavier.
Almost like guilt.
Almost like confusion.
Almost like something he didn't want to name.
He was still lost in those thoughts when Sienna entered the room, laughing into her phone with bright excitement.
"Yes, of course you can come," she said. "It'll be fun. Just bring whatever you need. We'll take care of everything here."
She hung up with an affectionate little sigh and turned toward Adrian with a wide smile that instantly shifted the air in the room.
"Our friends are coming for one week," she announced cheerfully. "I'm so happy, Adrian. We're finally going to spend a whole week together with everyone. I'll tell the maids to prepare the guest rooms."
Adrian smiled back—because he did love her, because her happiness mattered to him. And some part of him wanted this, too. Familiar faces. Old memories. Normality.
"That's good," he said gently. "It'll be nice to see everyone again."
But the moment the words left his mouth, something tightened in his chest.
He didn't know why.
Sienna noticed immediately.
She always did.
Her smile faltered. "Are you not happy?"
"No, no," he said quickly, shaking his head. "I am. Really. I can't wait to meet them."
But the heaviness didn't leave.
It lingered like a quiet warning, like an invisible hand pressing down on something inside him.
You're happy, he repeated silently. You chose this. You love her. You're even thinking about proposing. So why doesn't it feel complete? Why does something feel… off?
But he said none of it out loud.
Sienna brightened again as if his reassurance erased all doubt. She stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her head briefly against his chest.
Her voice was warm. "It'll be perfect."
He held her back—but his eyes drifted past her shoulder to the window again.
Outside, a car had just pulled up to the driveway.
A car he didn't recognize.
Elena stepped out quietly, clutching her sketch file and a bag of books. The afternoon sun caught her hair, making the soft brown strands glow in a gentle halo around her tired face.
For the first time in days, he saw her clearly—her expression blank, her eyes dimmer than usual, her shoulders tense like she was carrying something too heavy for her small frame.
Adrian stiffened.
There was something wrong.
She looked… not sad, but silent.
A silence that hurt.
Before he could move or think further, a boy stepped out from the driver's side—a young man around Elena's age, tall, with messy black hair and warm brown eyes. He laughed softly at something she said and lifted his hand to wave at her.
Elena smiled.
A small smile, but real—more real than any expression she had shown in days.
Adrian felt his breath freeze for a heartbeat he didn't understand.
And that was the moment Sienna followed his line of sight.
Her eyes narrowed instantly. "Who is that?"
Adrian didn't answer.
He couldn't.
His jaw had tightened involuntarily, and something unfamiliar—sharp and sudden—stabbed inside his chest when the boy leaned slightly forward, still waving, still looking at Elena like she was someone worth noticing.
Sienna's expression sharpened further when she saw the tiny, warm smile Elena gave in return.
The kind of smile she hadn't given anyone in the house in more than a week.
Sienna leaned closer to the window, her voice low. "Adrian… who is that boy?"
He swallowed, the tension in his body refusing to ease. "I… I don't know."
"Well, she does," Sienna muttered, her tone edging with something possessive, something annoyed. "Look at the way she's smiling at him. I've never seen her smile like that before."
Adrian said nothing.
He couldn't explain why he kept staring.
He couldn't explain the uncomfortable heaviness in his chest.
He couldn't explain why he wanted to know who the boy was and why Elena seemed comfortable with him when she avoided everyone else.
He only knew one thing:
It bothered him.
More than it should.
More than he expected.
Sienna stepped away from the window with a scoff. "Well, at least she finally made a friend. Maybe now she won't look like she's haunting the hallways."
Adrian didn't smile.
His eyes lingered on Elena until she entered the house and disappeared inside.
And for the first time in weeks, he felt something shift inside him—slow, quiet, undeniable.
Something he wasn't ready to face.
Something he didn't want to admit.
Something that felt dangerously close to jealousy.
But he pushed it away—because he had a plan. He had a future. He loved Sienna.
And yet…
As the boy's car drove away, Adrian's fingers curled unconsciously around the windowsill, and his heart whispered a truth he wasn't ready to hear:
Then why does it hurt?