Uniformed Hearts

💖Episode 04 Shadows Between Bloodlines💖

Shadows Between Bloodlines

Kiara’s POV

Monday mornings were always heavy, but this one felt suffocating.

Kiara sat in the last row of Commerce 1-B, pretending to jot down notes while her thoughts chased the letter hidden deep in her bag—the letter from the dusty drawer, beside a forgotten photograph of a young man with eyes frighteningly similar to hers.

She hadn’t spoken to her mom about it. Not yet.

She didn’t know why. Maybe it was fear. Or maybe, deep down, she didn’t want to confirm the storm she already sensed was coming.

"Hey, dreamer. You awake?" Theo’s voice broke into her thoughts.

Kiara blinked. "Huh?"

Theo laughed and slid into the seat beside her, ignoring the eyes of other rich kids who didn’t approve of him being so casually friendly with the scholarship girl.

"You’ve been zoning out like you saw a ghost. You good?"

"Yeah. Just... tired," she lied.

Before Theo could press more, the professor walked in, and silence filled the room.

Across the classroom, Christin sat by the window, his face unreadable. But his eyes occasionally flickered toward Kiara. He hadn’t spoken to her since that brief moment outside the dean’s office. Not a word. Not a glance.

But something had changed.

Christin’s POV

He couldn’t stop thinking about that photograph. The man next to baby Kiara. His uncle.

Which meant... she was family.

But why didn’t she know?

Why was she living in a cramped apartment when her blood tied her to the Fernandes empire?

The answers were buried in a silence that even Christin couldn’t force open.

He had no right to tell her. Not yet. Not without knowing everything. Not without knowing why his grandfather had cut off his uncle from the family decades ago.

All he could do now was watch.

And protect.

Even if she never knew.

Liya’s POV

Liya noticed it.

Christin’s distracted gaze.

Kiara’s dazed expressions.

Theo’s protective gestures.

Something was brewing.

During lunch, she found Kiara sitting alone under the same tree from her first day.

"Mind if I join you?"

Kiara looked up, surprised. "Sure."

Liya sat, biting into her apple, watching the scholarship girl as if she were a mystery to solve.

"You know, you’re tougher than you look. Most girls would’ve cried after what Jennie pulled last week."

Kiara smiled faintly. "I’ve been through worse."

"Yeah? Like what?"

Kiara hesitated. "Life."

Liya raised a brow. "Nice answer. You’re growing on me."

Kiara tilted her head. "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Liya grinned. "Both. Depends who you ask."

Across the quad, Christin stood on the library balcony, his eyes locked on the pair.

He didn’t like it. Not because Liya was talking to Kiara.

But because he didn’t know what Liya was trying to find out.

Jennie’s POV

Jennie slammed her locker shut, nearly knocking Zack over.

"Hey!" he scowled.

"That girl is getting too comfortable," Jennie hissed.

"Kiara?" Zack asked, rolling his eyes. "Again?"

"She’s not just a poor charity case anymore. Christin keeps looking at her. Liya’s talking to her. Even Theo’s playing hero. I’m not blind."

Zack sighed. "So? We’ve dealt with worse."

Jennie turned, eyes dark. "She’s hiding something. And I’m going to find out what."

Zack paused. "Or... you’re just jealous."

She glared at him. "Watch it."

He smirked. "Just saying."

Jennie’s fists clenched. Whatever it was about Kiara, it was more than just a scholarship story. And Jennie intended to expose it.

Kiara’s POV

That evening, Kiara stayed in the library longer than usual. She needed the silence.

She pulled out the letter again. The handwriting was old, slightly faded. Signed at the bottom: David Fernandes.

She whispered the name aloud.

Why did it feel familiar?

"David Fernandes," she repeated softly.

She turned and nearly jumped. Ethan was standing beside the bookshelf behind her.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn’t mean to scare you."

"It’s okay. Just... lost in thought."

"Reading anything interesting?"

She quickly folded the letter and slid it into her bag. "Just history."

He smiled. "History’s my favorite. So many secrets."

She nodded awkwardly.

"Kiara," he said slowly. "Have you ever wondered why people hide their truths?"

She looked at him, unsure where the conversation was going.

"Sometimes it’s for protection. Sometimes... it’s fear. But secrets always come out. One way or another."

She forced a smile. "That sounds like something from a thriller movie."

He chuckled, then leaned in slightly. "Maybe your life’s more thrilling than you think."

She blinked. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

But Ethan just smiled and walked away.

She watched him go, unease curling in her stomach.

Christin’s POV

That night, Christin stood in his study, staring at the family portrait on the wall. His grandfather, his parents, himself... and a blank space where David should’ve been.

The disgrace. The exile. The forbidden name.

But Kiara had that name.

He pulled out a drawer and took out an old notebook—his grandfather’s journals.

He flipped through until he found an entry:

"David chose love over pride. And for that, he is no longer part of this family. If the child survives... she is to be erased. Forgotten."

Christin’s blood chilled.

Survives?

Erased?

Was Kiara that child?

He closed the notebook slowly. "What the hell did you do, Grandpa?"

Next Morning – Kiara’s POV

As Kiara entered the classroom, whispers followed her again—but this time, it wasn’t about her clothes or background.

Someone had spread a rumor.

She heard fragments:

"...some kind of connection to the chairman..."

"...why is Christin so interested..."

"...is she even really poor...?"

Panic bloomed in her chest.

She sat down and noticed a printed photo lying face down on her desk.

She turned it over.

It was a blurry version of the photograph she had found—Kiara as a baby in someone’s arms.

A note was scribbled underneath:

Truth always finds a way.

She looked around. Who had done this?

Christin stood at the doorway. His eyes met hers.

And for the first time, he nodded.

Acknowledged her.

She swallowed.

What was happening?

To Be Continued...💖