the confession

She smirked and teased him,

“Oh, that’s why you left home without any plan? Did you fight with her? Is she beautiful? Did you propose? Did she accept?”

Before she could interrupt again, Akuil gently grabbed her wrist—not roughly, but firmly—and stepped in front of her. His sudden seriousness made her stop.

“Miriyam,” he said softly, staring straight into her eyes, “it’s you.”

Her breath caught. Her heart skipped a beat.

“What the—? No. No, Akuil.” She stepped back immediately. “We are brother and sister. You’re father’s brother’s son. We’re blood-related. Please tell me this is some kind of joke.”

Akuil shook his head, his voice trembling with emotion.

“No, Miriyam. Don’t you remember the letter you wrote when you were seven? It was full of spelling mistakes, but I kept it. You wrote that you loved me.”

She let out a sharp breath, half shocked, half frustrated.

“Are you serious right now? I wrote that letter because a boy named Arshal kept following me everywhere. I just wanted him to leave me alone. I meant the words, yes—but the love was innocent. Brotherly.”

She paused, then added firmly,

“And I’m in love with someone else. His name is Gabriel. Please stop holding onto this useless idea. Think of me only as your sister.”

Akuil slowly dropped to his knees.

“Please… don’t leave me.”

When he realized her answer would never change, he stood up, his expression darkening.

“So it’s because of that boy,” he said coldly. “You’re choosing him over me.”

“What are you even saying, Akuil?” she replied, her voice shaking now. “Whatever I do, I’m leaving this conversation behind. And don’t come near me again with these thoughts.”

After that night, they barely spoke. Miriyam even skipped dinner just to avoid facing him.

The Next Day

She got ready for school as usual. But instead of her father, Akuil insisted on dropping her.

The more she tried to distance herself, the closer he seemed to get.

They stopped in front of the school gate. Phil was already there, waiting for her, just like every morning. He smiled and waved.

Suddenly, Akuil leaned closer and whispered sharply,

“Don’t ever think about that idiot. You’re mine.”

Miriyam shoved his hand away, her eyes blazing.

“Don’t touch me.”

She jumped out of the car and ran straight to Phil.

He had seen everything.

“Is everything okay?” he asked, concern written all over his face.

She forced a weak smile, her heart still pounding.

“Not really.”

she rushed toward the library, hoping to find Gabriel and explain everything—this time with Phil beside her. But the library was empty.

Her heart sank.

She searched the corridors, then his classroom. He wasn’t there either.

Confused and anxious, she finally asked his friends. One of them shrugged and said,

“He’s on sick leave today.”

That only made things worse.

With no other choice, she returned to Tharham and Kinedy—the people she now owed an explanation to.

Taking a deep breath, she walked up to them.

“Okay,” she began slowly, choosing her words carefully. “Gabriel… he is my type of guy. But he was scared to approach me directly. So he proposed through Phil.”

Kinedy’s eyes widened. He rolled them dramatically and snapped,

“Wait—what? Phil???”

She nodded.

“Yes. And I didn’t want to make it public. I was scared you both would treat me differently… or create distance once you knew I was in a relationship.”

Tharham crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced.

“I don’t completely believe you,” he said honestly. “But at least you thought about us. Fine.”

Kinedy wasn’t done yet. He leaned closer, narrowing his eyes.

“Then tell me one thing—who dropped you at school today?”

The question hit her harder than she expected.

She froze.

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