Ch3: Whispers behind closed doors

It was never loud. That was the worst part.

If they had shouted, if they had openly rejected her, maybe she could have fought back.

 Maybe she could have defended herself, or at least known exactly where she stood.

But instead, everything came in fragments half sentences, lowered voices, conversations that stopped the moment she walked in.

She learned to notice the pauses. The way laughter softened when she entered the room.

The way her exclusion from every single thing.

The way eyes met each other, silently communicating things she wasn’t meant to understand.

And then, one day, she finally heard it.

“You really think she belongs here?”

The words weren’t meant for her, but she heard them anyway.

She froze just outside the doorway, her fingers tightening around the edge of the wall as if it was the only thing holding her steady.

“She doesn’t fit,” another voice added. “It’s obvious.”

There was a small pause before someone else spoke again.

“You deserves someone better not her."

That sentence sank deeper than the rest.

Not because it was new but because it confirmed everything she had been feeling.

She didn’t belong. Not in their world. Not in his, nor in her. And maybe not even in their future too.

She stepped back quietly before they could notice her, her heart pounding in a way that felt unfamiliar like it was trying to escape something it couldn’t fight.

Later that night, everything seemed normal.

Too normal.

He sat beside her, his presence steady and familiar. For a moment, she wondered if she had imagined everything.

“You’ve been distant,” he said casually, glancing at her.

She almost laughed.

Distant. That word felt ironic.

“I’m just tired,” she replied softly.

It was easier than explaining the truth.

Easier than saying I feel unwanted everywhere and even that is starting to fade.

He leaned back slightly, studying her for a moment.

   “You know they don’t mean anything, right?”

Her breath caught.

I see,so he knew, she smiled.

That realization didn’t comfort her it hurt more.

Because if he knew Why hadn’t he done anything?

“They’re just looking out for me,” he added, shrugging.

For me.

Not for us.

Not for her.

That single word created a distance that no physical closeness could erase.

She nodded slowly, forcing herself to stay calm.

“Yeah,” she said, even though it felt like something inside her had gone quiet.

That night, she lay awake.

Her mind replayed every word she had heard.

Every look. Every moment she had tried to ignore.

And for the first time, she didn’t question them.

She questioned him, his silence.

Because love was there. She could feel it.

But protection? That was missing. Or May be she felt Opposite who knows.

But without protection, love starts to feel fragile.

Temporary.

Like something that can be taken away at any moment and no one would stop it.

She turned slightly.

And a quiet thought formed in her heart, one she didn’t dare say out loud.

If I was really important …

Wouldn’t I have been protected & understood too by those whom i loved?

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***