Layla's POV:
The truth pounded through my skull like a relentless engine, as Emilia's gentle smile — the one I thought I knew so well — began to dissolve into something unrecognizable.
My hand had gone numb from clutching the diary.
'Each familiar stroke of her pen now feels like a betrayal, revealing a stranger's pain hidden behind that handwriting I know so well. How could Emilia have carried such darkness alone, never letting a whisper of it reach me?'
She never let a trace of negativity show in my presence.
When I had announced my engagement to Orlando, Emilia had seemed genuinely happy.
She meticulously helped me select a wedding dress and agreed to be my bridesmaid.
When I offered to introduce her to work at the Field Manor, she refused.
She had smiled softly, telling me that
