What You're Hiding

After a few hours of traveling, Miria finally arrived at the park. She scanned the area, searching for her friends in the crowd. When she saw Marlie waving at her, she made her way over. Around Marlie stood Axel, Gale, Ray, Diana, Klaus, and… Isabella.

Miria hesitated for a fraction of a second. Her smile faltered slightly at the sight of Isabella. Although she and Ray had broken up, they remained close because of the singing group and, supposedly, due to their families' ties.

Marlie, who hadn't missed Miria's reaction, shot Ray a dark look. Caught off guard by the intensity of her glare, Ray quickly stood up with a tense smile. In a clumsy gesture, he went to hug Miria.

— "Are you okay?" he asked.

Miria replied in a neutral tone:

— "I'm fine. You can go back to Isabella if you want."

Silence immediately fell over the group. Everyone exchanged surprised glances. Axel broke the tension with a joke:

— "Maybe we should disappear for a while and let the lovebirds sort things out?"

Ray cleared his throat as his friends walked away, murmuring quietly. Once they were alone, he turned to Miria.

— "I'm sorry about earlier," he murmured. "I know Isolde's provocations didn't help..."

— "It's not just that," Miria cut him off.

She locked eyes with him.

— "Ray, sometimes you push me aside to be with Isabella. I understand that you spend time together, but sometimes… it's too much."

— "It's not what you think," he assured her. "Our families are close, I don't have a choice..."

— "I can believe it's a family thing, but there's something else, isn't there?" she asked.

Ray slightly averted his gaze.

— "Tell me the truth, Ray. Trust me."

He hesitated. Miria could clearly see the indecision in his eyes. He was about to speak when his gaze shifted elsewhere.

Without Miria realizing, Ray had just locked eyes with Isabella, who stood a few meters away. Her expression was unreadable, but the tension in Ray was unmistakable.

He immediately lowered his eyes and exhaled softly:

— "There's nothing you don't already know, Miria."

Her heart tightened.

— "I spend time with Isabella because we sing together and because our families are close, that's all," he continued.

She felt all her strength leave her. It wasn't just about their families—she knew that. But if he didn't want to tell her the truth, she wouldn't beg him.

She turned on her heels.

— "Fine," she simply said.

Ray reached out to stop her.

— "Wait, Miria..."

But she avoided his touch and walked back to the others without looking back.

Ray stood still for a moment, then sighed before joining them again.

They talked for a long time about everything and nothing. At one point, Diana complimented Gale on his tattoo. Proudly, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a beautiful flower tattooed on his shoulder.

— "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

— "It's amazing!" Diana exclaimed. "Does it have a special meaning?"

Gale nodded.

— "Yes, but it's personal."

As the conversation continued about tattoos, Miria suddenly had a flashback. A memory from her past hit her like a wave.

She saw herself as a child, sitting on the lap of a woman with gentle features.

— "Aunt Elma, what's that drawing on your neck?"

Elma had smiled and gently touched her skin.

— "It's a tattoo, Miria."

— "A tattoo?" the little girl marveled.

— "Yes, it's like a drawing engraved on the skin," Elma explained softly. "It can have a special meaning or simply be there to decorate the body."

Miria's eyes sparkled with curiosity.

— "And what's your drawing?"

Elma smiled tenderly.

— "A flower."

The image suddenly faded, and Miria snapped back to reality, breathless.

Without thinking, she jumped to her feet.

— "I have to go!"

Marlie frowned.

— "Are you okay, Miria? What's going on?"

Miria shook her head and made up an excuse.

— "I just forgot something important… I need to get it before it's too late."

Ray immediately stood up.

— "Wait, I'll come with you."

— "No!" she almost shouted.

Everyone jumped at Miria's sudden nervousness.

— "This is something I have to do alone."

She didn't wait for a response and dashed off, leaving her friends stunned behind her.