That morning, Mabella woke with her hair tousled and her cheeks still flushed from the memory of the night before. The images replayed in her mind like a film she could not turn off: Aiden’s hand holding hers during the dance, the way his voice faltered when he called her beautiful, the warmth of his gaze that seemed to melt straight through her.
She squealed into her pillow, burying her face until her words came out muffled. “Ahhhh! Aiden! Why were you so sweet?!”
Rolling back and forth across the mattress, she hugged her teddy bear so tightly that its seams seemed ready to burst. Her heart fluttered wildly, the silly grin on her face refusing to fade. For once, she did not care if she looked ridiculous. She was a girl hopelessly in love.
Her squeals, however, were loud enough to reach the hallway. Director Isabella, who happened to be passing by, stopped in her tracks. After a brief knock, she pushed open the door and leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed over her chest.
“Do I need to call the hospital?” Isabella asked dryly, her eyes narrowing with mock suspicion. “You look absolutely deranged.”
Mabella shot up, clutching her teddy to her chest as if it could shield her from embarrassment. She pouted, cheeks puffed out like a sulky child. “Should a mother really say something like that to her own daughter?”
“How would I know?” Isabella shrugged indifferently. “It is not my problem if you have lost your mind.”
“You are not supportive at all,” Mabella muttered under her breath, kicking her feet against the mattress in frustration.
A soft chuckle escaped Isabella’s lips, her sharp features softening just slightly. “I take it last night’s event was enjoyable? You have not stopped smiling since you woke up. Do not tell me the boy you have been obsessing over is finally yours now?”
Mabella’s pout shifted into a smug little smirk. “Mom, what are you even saying? He has always been mine. Where could he possibly run as long as I am still alive?”
The confidence in her tone made Isabella’s amusement vanish instantly. The playful curve of her mouth disappeared, replaced by a hard, almost cold seriousness. She pushed away from the doorframe, folding her arms tighter as her gaze locked on her daughter.
“Bella,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through the room. “Listen to me. Love built on lies does not last. You have been hiding your true identity from Aiden and his friends since the beginning. Do you really think your secret will stay buried forever?”
Mabella froze, her teddy bear slipping slightly in her arms. Her brows knitted together in protest. “No one will ever find out if no one tells them, Mom.”
“Maybe,” Isabella replied, stepping further into the room. “But you have made more enemies than you can count. And enemies do not stay quiet forever. Someone, someday, will speak.”
Mabella bit her lower lip, the surge of unease she tried to ignore pressing harder against her chest. “But…”
Isabella did not let her finish. Her words struck like blades, each syllable slow and deliberate. “Remember what I am telling you. Betrayal is not something people forgive easily. Imagine the person you love most, the one who trusts you with all their heart, finding out they were lied to from the very beginning. When that happens, regret will not save you.”
Mabella turned her head away, refusing to meet her mother’s piercing eyes. Her heart clenched, uneasy and unsettled, though her voice came out sharp with defiance. “Just go, Mom. I do not want to hear your nagging anymore. You are hurting my ears.”
For a moment, Isabella simply stared at her, the weight of her gaze heavy and unreadable. Then, with a weary shake of her head, she turned and walked out, leaving the door ajar behind her.
Silence settled once again.
Mabella sank back onto her bed, hugging the teddy bear as though it could stop the unease building in her chest. Normally, she brushed off her mother’s warnings, dismissing them as unnecessary lectures. But this time was different.
This time, her mother’s words clung to her like shadows.
She told herself it was fine. Aiden would never find out. Nobody would ever betray her secret. As long as she kept playing the innocent girl, nothing would change. He would stay hers.
And yet, in the quiet of her room, Mabella could not silence the chill creeping into her heart. Something felt wrong, like a storm building on the horizon, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
For the first time, she was not sure if she was strong enough to face it when it came.