Her Hidden Secrets

AMARA’S POV

"THAT'S all. That’s the task Miss Dela Cruz assigned to us. She’s hoping we can finish it within an hour, so let’s not disappoint her," I said.

My gaze swept across the classroom, checking if everyone understood my explanation. Judging by their nods and focused faces, they did.

"Okay, Miss Alcantara," one of my classmates teased, grinning playfully. I raised an eyebrow at them, shaking my head with a faint smile before returning to my seat.

I started working on the activity right away. After a few minutes, I was already done. I leaned back on my chair and let my eyes wander around the room, watching how busy everyone was with their papers. A quiet sigh escaped my lips.

Just two more months, and we’d be leaving this university behind.

My thoughts were interrupted when I suddenly felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I took it out and checked the screen.

A message from Seb.

But instead of opening it right away, I froze — because at that exact moment, a memory I’ve been trying to forget suddenly came rushing back.

I felt my uniform cling tightly to my skin as Emmy poured cold water all over me.

"Serves you right," she hissed, her voice dripping with venom. "You’re always so desperate for attention."

The bucket clattered to the ground, hitting my thigh with a sharp sting.

"What did I ever do to you?" I snapped, my patience finally breaking.

"You’re such a show-off! You always want everything to revolve around you. You even stole my spot as the top student!"

My brows furrowed in disbelief. That’s it? That’s her reason for doing all this? So childish!

"So, that’s why you’re mad at me? Because you think I took everything away from you? Why don’t you just try harder to surpass me?" I shot back.

I said those words not to insult her, but to challenge her — hoping she’d focus on improving herself instead of hating me. I wouldn’t mind if she surpassed me; she’s my classmate, and I can accept defeat.

But it seemed she misunderstood me. Her face darkened even more.

"What did you say? No matter what you do, you’ll never beat me! Because I have a complete family—while you? Your mom abandoned you!"

Her words struck me like a slap. Of all things to bring up, she chose that.

"Don’t involve my personal life in your issue with me!" I said firmly.

"Why not? It’s the truth, isn’t it?" she mocked before shoving me hard and grabbing a fistful of my hair.

"Let go of me! Can’t we talk about this without fighting?" I tried to reason with her, even as pain shot through my scalp.

But she only smirked. "What if I like this? You have no idea how much I enjoy seeing you suffer!"

She yanked my hair again, forcing me to almost kneel on the ground.

"Please, Emmy... let me go," I begged, my voice trembling.

"You’re just a transferee, yet everyone looks up to you! Even my parents are mad at me because of you! I should be in your place!" she shouted, pointing accusingly at me before releasing my hair.

When she grabbed it again, the pain became unbearable — so I fought back. I pulled her long red hair with all my strength.

"You don’t deserve the attention you’re getting! That should’ve been mine!" she cried.

For a second, I saw tears in her eyes — and guilt twisted in my chest. But before I could speak, she yelled again, voice breaking.

"You deserve to disappear from this world!"

I lost my balance and fell to the ground. Then she kicked me hard in the stomach. Pain ripped through me, stealing my breath. I saw her smirk before glancing over her shoulder.

That’s when I realized she wasn’t alone.

A tall man stood nearby, holding a large piece of wood — Carlo, her boyfriend.

My heart pounded in fear. One swing from that, and I’d be fighting for my life.

"Emmy, please. Don’t do this," I begged again, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Please?" She laughed bitterly. "You think I’ll pity you? This is my only chance! Once you’re gone, everything will go back to normal — including my parents’ love!"

My hands trembled. Lord, please... help me.

"Emmy, listen to me," I pleaded softly. "Maybe you just misunderstood them. No parent stops loving their child."

"Shut up! You don’t know anything!" she screamed. "Because of you, they hate me! Being the top student is the only thing I’m proud of — and you took that away!"

"I’m sorry..." I whispered, almost breathless. I never meant to take anything from her.

"I don’t want your apologies," she spat. "I want you dead."

"Do it now, Carlo!" she screamed.

"Emmy, no! Please—no!"

And then, out of nowhere, a man appeared.

He was tall, broad-shouldered, and undeniably strong. Even in my terrified state, I couldn’t help but stare for a second — his presence was powerful, almost commanding.

Before I knew it, he had grabbed Carlo’s arm, stopping him mid-swing.

"Let go of me, damn it!" Carlo yelled, struggling against the stranger’s grip.

But he couldn’t break free.

"S-Sebastian," Carlo stammered when he recognized the man.

The man — Sebastian — turned his gaze toward me. Our eyes met, and I froze. His jaw clenched tightly as he looked at my soaked uniform and bruised skin.

"What the hell did you do?" he growled through gritted teeth.

"Carlo, are you just going to let him do that? Fight back!" Emmy shouted.

Before anything else could happen, another person arrived — a woman with long, wavy hair. She gasped at the scene before yelling, "Seb, let him go! There’s a girl hurt over here!"

Sebastian released Carlo with a rough shove. "You’re lucky. But we’re not done. Now get the hell out of my sight," he warned.

Carlo stumbled backward, fear flashing in his eyes before he ran away. Emmy followed, but not before glaring back at me.

"We’re not done yet, Amara. I’ll be back!" she spat before disappearing.

The woman rushed to me, her voice trembling with worry. "You’re Amara, right? What did they do to you? Are you okay?"

"I-I’m fine," I whispered weakly before everything went dark.

“She’s the girl you were talking about before, right?”

A faint voice reached my ears as I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I saw was a white ceiling — then white walls. My head felt heavy, and my mind blank.

“She’s pretty… and she seems kind,” the voice said again.

I blinked several times, trying to adjust my blurry vision. Two figures slowly came into view — a stunning woman and a handsome man. Both of them looked familiar, though I couldn’t remember where I had seen them before.

“She’s awake, Sebastian,” the woman said softly.

She stood from the couch and moved closer to me, sitting on the chair beside my hospital bed.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Water, please…” I croaked weakly instead of answering. My throat felt dry.

“Here, take it slow,” she said, carefully handing me a glass of water.

“By the way, I’m Kolin,” she introduced herself with a warm smile, “and this is my cousin, Sebastian.”

“H-hi… I’m Amara. But, why am I here? What happened?” I asked, still confused.

“You were being bullied,” Kolin explained gently. “We rescued you.”

Her words made my memories rush back — the cold water, Emmy’s angry face, Carlo holding that piece of wood. My heart started pounding again.

“W-where are Emmy and Carlo? What if they find me again? What if they hurt me?” I asked, my voice trembling as fear returned to me.

“They’re at the police station now,” Kolin reassured me, her tone calm but firm. “The school has already taken action, and your dad filed a case against them.”

Still, I couldn’t stop shaking. “Where’s my dad? I want to see him. Please, bring me to him!”

“He’s still at the police station, Amara. He’s taking care of everything,” she said softly.

But panic had already taken over me. My breathing became uneven, tears filling my eyes. “Please… I just want to see him,” I pleaded, clutching her hand tightly.

“Sebastian,” Kolin called, concern in her voice as she looked at her cousin for help.

Sebastian stepped forward. His tall figure cast a shadow beside my bed. He gently placed a hand on my shoulder, his touch surprisingly calming.

“Amara,” he said in a deep, steady voice. “Look at me.”

Slowly, I raised my gaze to meet his eyes — dark, serious, and full of something I couldn’t explain.

“You’re safe now,” he said, voice low but firm. “They can’t hurt you anymore. I promise.”

For some reason, those words reached deep inside me. My breathing slowed, and the fear began to fade. His voice carried a strange comfort — like safety itself.

“Th-thank you… I owe you my life,” I whispered, tears falling freely down my cheeks.

He nodded and gently brushed the tears away with his thumb.

“What about me?” Kolin said with a playful pout.

I managed a small smile. “Of course, you too. Thank you, Kolin.”

The smile hadn’t even faded from my lips when Sebastian moved closer. He sat beside me on the edge of the bed, his eyes locked on mine.

“No one will ever hurt you again,” he whispered.

I froze, stunned by his words — by how sincere they sounded. I didn’t even know him, yet his voice carried something that made me believe him instantly.

Then, without another word, he wrapped his arms around me. His embrace was warm, protective — as if he was shielding me from the world.

I hugged him back, not caring that Kolin was still there watching. At that moment, all I felt was safety and peace.

He leaned close to my ear and whispered the words that would stay with me forever.

“Starting now, I’ll protect you. I won’t ever leave you, Amara...”