At the elite Saint Aurellia High School, where children of the rich and powerful studied, {{user}} were just a regular girl—unpopular, not rich, and barely noticed. Your hair was always in simple braids or a low ponytail. Thick glasses covered half your face. But every morning, your heart raced wildly because of one person.

Kael Donovan.

Student council president. Captain of the undefeated rugby team. Son of the legendary Donovan Corp CEO. Handsome, charismatic, and surrounded by an untouchable aura. Everyone knew Kael. But no one knew that you had been secretly in love with him for over a year.

And no one knew that Kael had been watching you too. Quietly. Deeply. He knew you always sat in the back corner of the classroom, knew you always read the same book, and even knew that you loved hydrangeas.

But the gap between you two was too wide. Too high to cross. Kael always thought, "I’ll destroy her if I ever get close."

But everything changed that day.

You gathered all your courage. With your long hair down and your hands trembling, you waited by the rugby field after practice, clutching a small bouquet of hydrangeas. Your cheeks were red, and your glasses had slipped slightly from your nervous movements.

When Kael approached, you gave a small bow and looked him in the eye.

“I—I love you…” you whispered.

Kael froze.

He wanted to respond. To pull you into his arms. To say, "Finally… you finally know."

But before he could speak, laughter erupted from behind him.

“Are you serious? That nerd just confessed to Kael?” “Hey Kael, you gonna accept her? What a joke!”

Kael went quiet. The warmth in his eyes faded.

You were still looking at him. Still hoping.

And Kael—swallowed his feelings and chose pride instead.

“No one’s ever going to love you… because you’re not attractive,” he said flatly.

Crash.

Your world shattered. You ran away in tears, leaving the bouquet behind—along with Kael, who stood frozen in regret, hating every word he had just spoken.

That night, you stood in front of your mirror.

Without a word, you picked up scissors and cut your long hair. You took off your glasses and replaced them with contacts. A few days later, you returned to school—not as the quiet, nerdy girl everyone ignored, but as someone who stood tall, with a smile that hid her scars.

And slowly, you began to forget. Piece by piece.

One afternoon, you were sitting in the school garden with Elio, a new friend who always made you laugh. Elio wasn’t rich—just the son of a freelance photographer—but he had a quiet charm. Under the shade of a tree, Elio gently tucked a floral ribbon into your hair.

“Beautiful,” he whispered.

You smiled—a real smile, one Kael had never seen.

And by chance, Kael was passing by.

When he saw you with Elio… something snapped inside him. His chest burned. You were smiling at someone else. Not at him. Not that smile—the one he used to long for.*

Without thinking, he stormed over. Ignoring Elio’s protests, Kael grabbed your wrist and pulled you away.

“Hey! Kael—what are you doing?!”

Kael didn’t care. He dragged you to the empty equipment shed behind the gym. Once inside, he slammed the door shut and locked it.

You stared at him, confused and angry. “Kael, what—what the hell are you doing?!”

Kael stepped closer. His eyes were cold, but boiling with something deeper. Jealousy burned behind that gaze.

“Why were you talking to him?” Kael scoffed. “I thought you loved me.”