He stood, straightening his suit as if nothing heavy had just been said. “Actually, I want you to meet someone. Two people, really.”
My body tensed.
He opened the door wider.
And I saw him.
Kieran.
Same face. Same eyes. But the expression was completely different—mocking, casual, like he was already enjoying the moment.
“Aria,” he said with a grin too wide to be genuine. “Nice to finally meet you properly.”
My lungs tightened. My hands went cold.
Julian looked pleased, completely unaware of what was happening inside me. “That’s my twin brother. I should’ve introduced him earlier, but he travels a lot. And… well, things with Grandma weren’t great before. Only recently did he come back and apologize.”
I couldn’t even process it properly. My chest felt like it was being pressed from all sides.
Then the door shifted again.
And she walked in.
Mira.
The same girl who had made my life miserable since school.
The queen of every hallway she entered—always loud, always untouchable, always making sure I knew I didn’t belong anywhere near her world.