The gates of the university opened wide, a stream of students spilling through, their laughter echoing in the warm morning air. The sun painted the sky with golden streaks, and the campus buzzed with life—friends waving, couples sharing quiet jokes, groups hurrying to class with books clutched to their chests.
And amidst all the noise, she walked in silence.Aira Brown.
Gone was the girl with hopeful eyes and a tender voice that once trembled with pain.Now, her eyes were void of warmth, her lips untouched by even the ghost of a smile.Cold. Emotionless. Untouchable.
Her posture was straight, her chin slightly lifted, her steps measured as if each one carried a hidden purpose. She adjusted the strap of her bag across her shoulder and stepped into the main hallway without glancing at the students who turned to look.
Some whispered. Others only stared.Her presence was sharp—like ice glinting under the sun. Graceful, but untouchable.
As she passed, Aira thought quietly to herself.I don't need anyone. I don't want anyone.
Her dorm room was small but orderly. Four white walls, a neatly made bed with crisp sheets, a desk positioned under the window, and a wardrobe pushed into the corner. There were no posters, no photographs, no colors. Only clean lines and silence.
She sat at the edge of her bed, her schedule in hand. Her face remained still, a frozen lake without ripples.
The past month had been a lesson in survival. She had taught herself to live without anyone's support. She learned how to cook her meals, budget her money, navigate the city, and move through life without leaning on a soul.
Her father had given her money and arranged for her to stay in a comfortable guesthouse near the university, but she declined it. She refused comfort handed to her like pity. Instead, she rented a small dorm room, modest and bare. Independence was no longer a choice—it was her only way forward.
At dawn, her routine began. She woke at five every morning, her alarm never needing to ring twice. She stretched, exercised, and trained her body into discipline. At six, she stood at the small kitchen counter, flipping an omelette with practiced precision. She ate alone, washed the dishes alone, and left without a sound.
When she walked into lectures, her movements were composed, silent, yet impossible to ignore. She never laughed, never lingered in crowds, never joined the gossip. Instead, she sat quietly in the back row, a silent observer.
Her professors noticed."Miss Brown?" one would call unexpectedly, testing her.And Aira would look up with steady, icy eyes, give the exact answer—word-perfect, flawless—and lower her gaze again.
They praised her intelligence but spoke in hushed tones afterward. "Sharp girl… but distant. Like she's here, but not here."
Her classmates whispered too.One girl leaned toward her friend in the cafeteria. "Have you ever seen her smile?"Her friend followed her gaze, watching Aira as she passed by with her tray of food. "No… not once. I heard she came from something tragic."
Rumors bloomed around her like weeds. Some said she had lost her family. Some said she had run away from a violent home. Others believed she'd been betrayed in love, her heart broken so badly she'd built a wall no one could climb.
Aira heard the whispers but never reacted.Let them wonder. Let them invent their stories. I am not here to be understood.
Each night, when the noise of the campus dulled and the stars blinked faintly above the city, Aira sat by the window of her dorm. Her hands rested on the sill as her gaze traced the constellations. She didn't smile. She didn't sigh. Her face was unreadable, carved into calm.
Beside her bed, she lit a single candle. Its flame wavered gently against the white walls. Not for warmth. Not for peace. But as a reminder.
A reminder of who she had been—the girl who once cried into her pillow, begging for love that never came.The girl who once longed for kindness from those who only tore her apart.The girl who had died the night silence swallowed her screams.
That girl was gone.
Now only Aira remained. The girl with no tears left to cry.The girl whose heart had frozen solid just to survive.
And in that frozen heart was a vow:No one—not her family,not Liam,not even fate itself—would ever break her again.