Mira wore the bracelet the next morning.
It rested lightly against her wrist, hidden beneath her sleeve.
No one noticed.
But she felt it with every movement.
At breakfast, Dominic said nothing. He read the news as usual, posture composed, expression unreadable.
Yet when Mira stood to leave, he spoke.
"I'll have the driver take you to school."
Mira paused. "I can go myself."
"I know," he replied calmly. "Let him take you anyway."
She studied him for a moment, then nodded. "Alright."
No argument.
No tension.
Just understanding.
---
At school, Blake noticed it immediately.
Not the bracelet.
The change.
Mira was quieter. More distant. As if she carried something fragile inside her chest.
"You okay?" he asked during lunch.
She smiled faintly. "I am."
It wasn't a lie.
But it wasn't the whole truth either.
Blake didn't push.
He simply sat with her, sharing silence like it meant something.
---
Ariana watched from across the courtyard.
She saw the bracelet when Mira reached for her bag.
She knew what it was.
Or at least, she knew it mattered.
That night, Ariana knocked on Mira's door.
Once.
Then twice.
Mira opened it slowly.
"Yes?"
Ariana swallowed.
"I didn't know," she said stiffly. "About your father."
Mira looked at her calmly. "Now you do."
Silence stretched between them.
"I won't bother you anymore," Ariana said finally.
She turned and walked away.
It wasn't an apology.
But it was a beginning.
---
Later that evening, Aaron stood beside Dominic in his office.
"She wore it today," Aaron said quietly.
Dominic nodded. "Good."
Aaron hesitated. "You're changing, sir."
Dominic didn't deny it.
"She doesn't ask for help," Dominic said. "That makes people assume she doesn't need it."
He paused.
"Make sure she's safe," he added. "At school. At work."
Aaron smiled slightly. "Already done."
---
That night, Mira stood by her window, fingers brushing the bracelet.
"For you," she whispered.
Unseen, unheard—
But not alone.