Pearl's phone buzzed again, startling her out of the heavy silence.
This time, it wasn't Vansh. It was a new message from an unknown number — the one she'd seen before, but always too cryptic to understand fully.
She opened it, eyes narrowing at the screen:
love_peace:"You're closer than you think. But closer means danger. Trust no one — not even him."
Her fingers trembled.
Not even him?
Pearl's mind raced. Vansh. The boy she hated and maybe… cared about too much.
She stared at the message, heart pounding in that sharp, confusing way that only secrets and lies could cause.
Her phone buzzed again — no new message, just the ominous three dots blinking in a chat window that wasn't hers.
Pearl swallowed hard.
What game am I really playing?
Her voice was barely a whisper:
"Who are you, love_peace? And what do you want from me?"
Pearl stared at the glowing screen long after the message had come and gone. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, heavy and relentless.
"Trust no one — not even him."
The words echoed in her mind like a warning bell. Vansh — the boy she was supposed to despise, yet somehow couldn't stop thinking about — was suddenly the biggest question mark of all.
Her fingers trembled, but instead of backing down, she pulled her phone closer.
If I can't trust Vansh… then who can I trust?
Her eyes scanned her cluttered desk. The photo she had found earlier, the crumpled note from the album, the scattered printouts — all pieces of a puzzle that refused to fit together.
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
But her jaw clenched. Whatever this was, whatever danger lay ahead, she wouldn't be a pawn. Not anymore.
She grabbed her notebook, jotted down the message, and circled the words "not even him."
Then, a slow smile spread across her face.
Let them watch. I'm not afraid.
With renewed fire, Pearl stood up, grabbed her backpack, and stepped out into the heavy summer heat.
The truth was waiting. And this time, she was going to find it — no matter what.