Chapter — The Truth I Never Told
Evening came faster than I expected.
The sky outside the mansion windows had turned golden, the sun melting slowly into the horizon.
I had rested for a few hours, but the exhaustion from last night was still somewhere in my bones.
Around six-thirty, the doorbell rang.
I already knew who it was.
The group.
For a moment I just stood there, staring at the door.
They wanted answers.
And tonight… I had promised them the truth.
I opened the door.
Joong, Alex, Cole, Lyra, and the others stood there.
For a second they all looked slightly awkward.
Then Lyra smiled.
"Hi…"
I stepped aside quietly.
"Come in."
They walked in slowly, their eyes automatically scanning the massive hall again. Even though they had seen it in the morning, the mansion still shocked them.
Joong whispered to Alex, not quietly enough,
"Bro this house still feels illegal."
Alex elbowed him.
I ignored them and walked toward the living room.
"Sit."
They settled on the large sofas while I went to the kitchen.
A few minutes later I came back carrying a tray.
Evening snacks. Sandwiches, juice, and some biscuits.
I placed them on the table.
"Eat."
Joong immediately grabbed one.
"Thank you rich friend."
Cole gave him a warning look.
But the tension in the room was still there.
Everyone knew why they were here.
For a few minutes, no one said anything.
The television played softly in the background.
Then finally—
Alex leaned forward.
"Care."
I looked at him.
"How rich are you exactly?"
Straight to the point.
Typical Alex.
The room went silent.
I took a slow breath.
"…You want the real answer?"
Joong nodded instantly.
"Yes."
I leaned back slightly in my seat.
"I'm a millionaire."
The words dropped into the room like a stone.
No one spoke.
Lyra blinked.
Joong froze mid-bite.
Alex stared.
Even Cole looked surprised.
"…You're serious?" Alex finally asked.
"Yes."
Joong slowly lowered the sandwich.
"How."
I shrugged slightly.
"Hard work."
Alex frowned.
"You're our age."
"Yes."
"And you own this mansion?"
"For two years now."
Silence fell again.
But this time, the curiosity was stronger.
Lyra spoke softly.
"What about your family?"
The question landed heavier than the others.
My fingers tightened slightly on the armrest.
For a moment I didn't answer.
The room felt tense.
Electric.
Everyone waiting.
Finally I looked at them.
"Do you really want to know my past?"
No one spoke.
But the answer was obvious.
Yes.
I looked down for a second.
Then I started speaking.
"My father died when I was very young."
The room instantly grew quiet.
"My mother…"
I paused.
"…she's alive."
"But she might as well not be."
Joong frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
I let out a small breath.
"My family abandoned me."
No one moved.
"My relatives."
"My cousins."
"My own blood."
"All of them."
Lyra's expression changed.
Alex leaned forward slowly.
"When I was small… everything collapsed after my father died."
"Our relatives fought over money."
"Property."
"Responsibilities."
"And in the end…"
I smiled faintly.
"No one wanted the child."
Silence.
"They left."
"All of them."
The television noise in the background suddenly felt too loud.
I continued quietly.
"I had to move to another city."
"For years I was alone."
Lyra and Ash exchanged a quick glance.
Something in my story felt familiar to them.
But they stayed silent.
I kept speaking.
"I studied."
"I worked."
"I joined competitions."
"Science exhibitions."
"Innovation programs."
"Startup challenges."
"Anything that could give me a chance."
Alex watched me carefully.
"At first I failed."
"A lot."
"But eventually…"
I shrugged lightly.
"Some ideas worked."
"A few companies invested."
"And after that…"
My eyes moved around the room slowly.
"…things started changing."
Joong whispered,
"You built everything yourself…"
"Yes."
"For the last two years I've owned this mansion."
No one spoke.
Not even Joong.
Because now they understood something.
This wasn't inherited wealth.
This was earned.
Every piece of it.
Cole finally asked quietly,
"Then why do you act so distant?"
That question.
That one always came.
I looked down for a moment.
Then I answered.
"Because the last time I trusted people…"
My voice became softer.
"…they left."
The room froze.
"My friends."
"The ones I trusted the most."
"When I needed them the most…"
"They abandoned me."
I looked at the floor.
"So I stopped depending on anyone."
"Stopped trusting."
"Stopped expecting."
"Stopped getting close."
The silence in the room felt heavy now.
Almost painful.
For a long moment no one spoke.
Then Joong quietly said,
"…that explains a lot."
Lyra looked at me, her eyes filled with something I couldn't quite read.
Alex leaned back slowly.
Cole didn't move at all.
He was just watching me.
Studying my expression.
As if seeing me clearly for the first time.
I finished softly,
"So that's my story."
"No perfect family."
"No emotional support."
"Just me."
"And a lot of hard work."
The room stayed silent.
But something had changed.
The group didn't look at me like the distant girl anymore.
They looked at me like someone who had survived something far bigger than they ever imagined.
And somehow…
The tension between us had become something else entirely.
Not distance.
Understanding.