She wasn’t used to this.

The stolen glances. The nervous butterflies. The way her heart raced every time he sat next to her in class, like her body was betraying everything she worked so hard to keep locked down.

Her life looked stable now—on paper, at least. A rich aunt she never knew existed had swooped in, offered her a room in a beautiful house across town, paid the bills, and even sent a monthly allowance. But no amount of money could undo the years she spent learning how to survive with nothing. No designer throw pillows or grocery deliveries could stop her from feeling like the poor foster kid in a rich girl’s body.

At school, she was the quiet one. The girl who always had an extra pencil. Who helped with group work, offered shy smiles, and never said too much. But with him, it was different. He saw her, not the clothes, not the house, not the story she tried to tell—but her.He asked questions that no one else did. He noticed when she was tired. He looked at her like she mattered.

And that terrified her.

Because she wasn’t sure what she’d do if he saw everything—the grief, the guilt, the nights she cried alone.

Because what if he saw everything—the grief, the guilt, the fear that it could all disappear tomorrow? What if she let him in, and he decided she wasn’t enough?

What if he was the first person she really wanted to stay… and the next person to leave?