Aliana sat frozen on her sofa, her fingers slightly trembling as they rested on her lap. The click of the door locking echoed in her mind, but louder than that was the voice she had just heard - his voice.
Star.
The boy she had once hugged tightly as he lay dying. The boy who had looked at her like she was his only light.
The boy she just shut the door on.
Her heart thudded painfully against her ribs, but her face remained cold - expressionless. She clenched her jaw, trying to bury the storm swirling inside her.
Just then, a soft voice broke the silence.
"Miss Aliana... who was that?"
It was her maid - an older woman who had worked for her family for years. Her tone was gentle, but there was a knowing weight to it.
Aliana's shoulders stiffened. "It was no one important."
The maid tilted her head slightly. "No one important? Then why do you look so pale, dear?"
Aliana's lips parted for a moment - to say something, anything - but no words came out.
She quickly rose to her feet, pacing toward the large window overlooking the city. "I told you it doesn't matter," she said, her voice sharp enough to cut the air.
But the maid didn't move.
She watched Aliana carefully, her weathered hands clasped in front of her.
After a long silence, she finally spoke again. "You can push others away, Miss Aliana... but you can't lie to yourself."
Aliana's fists tightened at her sides.
"Stop it," she whispered.
But the maid stepped closer, her voice soft but unwavering. "I know how much you suffered these five years."
Aliana's heart lurched.
Her back remained to the maid, but her breath hitched ever so slightly.
"You think I didn't notice?" the maid continued gently. "How you stopped smiling - how your eyes always seemed distant, like you were somewhere else?"
Aliana closed her eyes tightly, willing the sting behind them to disappear.
"You saved him once," the maid said softly. "And now he's standing right there... yet you closed the door."
Silence.
Aliana's voice, strained and quiet, finally broke through. "I... had to."
The maid's gaze softened even more. "Why?"
Aliana's shoulders trembled.
"...Because if I let him back in..." She swallowed hard. "I'll only hurt him more."
Her words hung in the air - raw, broken.
The maid gently shook her head. "Or maybe... you're afraid he will hurt you."
Aliana's eyes snapped open - but she didn't turn around.
Tears pricked at the corners of her vision, but she refused to let them fall.
"...He's better off without me," she whispered.
The maid took a quiet step back, her heart aching for the girl who stood before her - a girl who was no longer the warm, hopeful person she once was.
And for the boy... who now carried the weight of her coldness.
Without another word, the maid left the room, leaving Aliana standing alone - staring blankly at the world outside her window.
The same world where, just moments ago... Star had been.
As Aliana stood at the window, the memories she tried so hard to bury came rushing back - the moment she left Star behind five years ago, returning to her family, hoping for comfort... only to be met with coldness.
She had been exhausted - physically, emotionally - after everything with the Master. The moment she saw her home, she thought maybe, just maybe, her parents would hold her, listen to her, and understand.
But instead...
"What nonsense are you speaking, Aliana?" her mother had snapped, her perfectly manicured nails tapping impatiently against the dining table. "An orphan boy? Living in the woods? Curses and dark magic? Stop making up these ridiculous stories!"
Her father, a powerful businessman, barely looked at her, only shaking his head in disappointment. "Do you have any idea what the neighbors would think if they heard this? That our daughter - our daughter - was spending nights with some nobody?"
"No, it wasn't like that-" Aliana's voice had cracked as she tried to explain. "He was my friend! He needed help-"
"Friend?" her mother's voice had dripped with disdain. "What girl from a respectable family keeps company with an orphan boy?"
Her father's face darkened. "Enough, Aliana."
And just like that... the conversation ended.
_ _ _
From that day forward, her life was no longer her own.
Her parents tightened their grip on her, monitoring her every move. She was no longer allowed to leave the house without a chauffeur, and any mention of Star was met with icy silence.
She quickly realized that the only way to "protect" Star was to let him go - because if her parents ever found out he was still in her life, they would ruin him.
So, she never spoke his name again.
But it didn't stop the pain.
Late at night, when the house was quiet, she would cry softly into her pillow, the memory of Star's trembling hand holding hers as he clung to life haunting her.
Her heart ached, but she swallowed it all down - every tear, every hope - because there was no escape.
And then... it got worse.
One evening, her father called her into his office, his expression calm but firm.
"You're going to marry the son of Mr. Raylor," he said simply, barely sparing her a glance. "Their company is crucial for our next merger, and this will secure the deal."
Aliana's stomach twisted. "Marry? I-"
Her mother cut her off. "It's for the family, Aliana. You'll do what's right."
Her protests meant nothing. Her dreams, her feelings - all discarded like they were never there to begin with.
And now,, as she stood staring blankly out the window, Aliana realized something painful - it wasn't just her life they had taken control of.
It was Star's too.
By locking him out, by pretending not to know him - she was trying to protect him from being dragged into the same cold, suffocating world she was trapped in.
She didn't want him to suffer because of her.
He was finally free - building a life for himself - and the last thing she wanted was to pull him back into the chains she now wore.
Even if it shattered her heart.
A single tear slipped down her cheek, but she wiped it away quickly, steeling herself.
"If he hates me..." she whispered, "that's better than him being destroyed by this life."
Her hand pressed lightly against the cold windowpane, thinking of the look on Star's face - the heartbreak in his eyes when she shut the door on him.
She clutched her chest, trying to steady her breathing.
"This is the only way," she told herself again.
Even if it killed her inside.
Meanwhile...
Star stood frozen in front of Aliana's closed door, the sound of the lock clicking still echoing in his ears. His chest felt heavy, like someone had reached inside and crushed his heart.
His friends surrounded him, but their words of comfort felt distant - a faint buzz compared to the storm of thoughts raging in his mind.
"Star, maybe she's just... busy," Kade tried, though his voice lacked conviction.
"Or maybe something's going on with her family," Nia added softly.
Luna, standing closest to Star, gently touched his shoulder. "We're here for you, okay?"
But Star didn't respond. His mind was stuck on Aliana's face - the coldness in her eyes, the way she didn't even seem to recognize him.
Was it really her? The girl who once hugged him as he lay dying? The girl who had defied his master and stood by him when he had no one?
It didn't make sense.
"She... she really didn't know me," Star finally muttered, his voice hoarse.
The words tasted bitter.
Eric sighed, running a hand through his hair. "People change, Star. It's been five years."
But Star shook his head slowly. "No... this wasn't just change. It was like she was a completely different person."
His mind spiraled, replaying the moment over and over. Her cold stare. Her distant words. The way she locked the door without hesitation.
Was she ashamed of him? Embarrassed that he had shown up after all this time?
Or... had she simply forgotten him?
The thought stung worse than anything.
The Star from five years ago might have crumbled completely, lost in his fear of being abandoned again. But now - though the pain was unbearable - he didn't collapse.
He clenched his fists, his breathing shaky but steady.
"Maybe you shouldn't overthink it, Star," Henry said softly. "Let's go back for now."
But Star didn't move. His heart was still anchored to that door - to the girl behind it.
After a long silence, he finally spoke.
"I need to know why," he said, his voice firm despite the ache in it. "I need to know what happened to her."
The others exchanged glances.
"Then we'll figure it out together," Luna said with a reassuring smile.
Star's eyes remained fixed on the door.
_ _ _
After a few tense moments...
Star, gathering his composure, stepped back to the door and knocked again - this time, more firmly. His friends stood behind him, silent but supportive.
After a long pause, the door creaked open again, but it wasn't Aliana who stood there.
It was a tall, stern-looking man - her father. His sharp suit and cold expression radiated authority. His calculating eyes scanned Star from head to toe, lingering for a moment on his simple clothes and worn-out shoes.
"Yes?" the man asked, his voice calm but firm. "What business do you have?"
Star swallowed hard, his heart pounding, but he didn't back down.
"I'm Star," he said slowly. "Five years ago... Aliana helped me escape a terrible life. She saved me. I was her friend."
Her father didn't blink. His face remained emotionless, a mask of indifference.
"I came to thank her. I wanted to show her how much I've changed... how much she helped me," Star continued, his voice steady but strained. "I don't know why she pretended not to recognize me, but I need to understand why."
There was a long silence.
Then, Aliana's father let out a slow, deliberate sigh. "I see."
He opened the door slightly wider but didn't invite them in.
"Let me be clear, young man," he said, his tone firm but calm. "That part of Aliana's life is over. Whatever happened between you two - that was a mistake. She has moved on."
Star felt a sting at the word mistake, but he clenched his fists, refusing to lose control.
The father continued. "Aliana is part of a respected family now. She has responsibilities - a future far beyond... whatever this is." His gaze flicked to Star's friends, subtly judging them as well.
Star's jaw tightened, but he kept his voice steady. "I'm not here to ruin her life or cause problems for your family. I just want to talk to her. To hear it from her."
Her father's lips curved into a small, forced smile. "She already spoke to you, didn't she?"
Star's stomach twisted.
The friends behind him shifted uneasily, sensing the tension rising.
"I know there's more to this," Star said softly. "She wasn't like this before."
Her father's smile faded.
"You're a persistent one," he muttered, his tone now sharper. "But understand this - Aliana has a life we've carefully built for her. She is set to marry the son of a prominent businessman. Her future is secure. There is no place in it for people like you."
The words hit Star like a punch to the gut.
People like you.
The implication was clear - Star wasn't worthy. He didn't belong in Aliana's life anymore.
But he didn't move.
He didn't break.
Instead, he locked eyes with Aliana's father, his voice quiet but unwavering.
"I'm not here to destroy her future," Star said. "I just want the truth."
Her father studied him for a long moment - then, with a curt nod, stepped back and closed the door once again.
The lock clicked.
Another wall between him and Aliana.
Star stood there, his heart aching - but his resolve only grew stronger.
He would find out the truth - no matter what it took.
The door had closed again, but this time, Star didn't move right away. He just stood there, staring at the cold, unyielding wood - as if willing it to open again, to bring Aliana back. His chest felt heavy, but the confusion in his heart weighed even more than the sting of her father's words.
His friends exchanged uneasy glances behind him, unsure of what to say.
It was Kade who broke the silence. "Star... I know this sucks. But we did what we could. Let's go for now."
Luna tugged gently at Star's arm, her voice soft. "We're still here, okay? You're not alone."
But Star didn't move.
He felt the ache in his heart twist even tighter. Something about Aliana's reaction didn't make sense - not just the coldness in her voice but the emptiness in her eyes. It wasn't the Aliana he remembered, the girl who once hugged him tightly when he was on the brink of death, the girl who had shown him warmth when no one else had.
That girl wasn't gone - she was trapped. He could feel it.
"Let's go," Eric said, more firmly this time. "We need a plan."
Star finally blinked, letting out a quiet, shaky breath. "Yeah... okay."
He turned slowly, his shoulders slumped but his mind racing. As they walked away from the house, he couldn't help but glance back one last time.
What he didn't see - what none of them saw - was Aliana standing behind a curtain on the second floor, her hand pressed against the glass. Her eyes were red, her lips trembling as she watched Star walk away.
She wanted to scream his name - to run down the stairs and throw open the door - but her father's voice echoed in her mind:
"That boy is a threat to your future. To our family. You will forget him."
A tear slipped down her cheek, but she didn't move from the window.