Deirdre’s cheeks burned. If she admitted to it—well, would it not make it seem like she cared a lot about what Kyran thought of her?The end of Kyran’s lips curled. His sincerity bled as he typed, “I’m stoked to hear that you care about what I think.”Deirdre lowered her head, but no amount of searching provided her any good counterargument. “So? Why didn’t you say anything, then? Unless both Mr. Engel and Mr. King were lying…”“Maybe they were, but what about the man who flirted with you? Do you really think he was lying?” Kyran argued, his eyes nailed to the blind woman’s own. They were unfocused and glassy, but her eyes had always been so clear and transparent.He lowered the phone’s volume. “You’ve always been beautiful, Deirdre. I didn’t react back then because—”Silence. His phone stopped speaking for him. Deirdre had not had the time to wonder what had happened when she felt him slowly inching close. She could feel his breath beating on her. She felt a tightening in her c

Brendan had said something similar to her before. He had even put his money where his mouth was, taking her hand and letting it graze the glass as he described where everything was and how beautiful they were.Anxiety swept across Deirdre like a plague. She forced herself to calm down, reining her mind from wilder and wilder imagination. Kyran and Brendan were not the same! They could not be the same person!“No, I’m good. I’m afraid of heights.”Kyran was silent for a moment. Then, he typed, “Okay, so no heights. What about the carousel?”“Mm-hmm.”Kyran held her hand and led her to the line. Nearby, Freya and her friends were munching on some snacks. Her friend sounded incredulous when she asked, “So, you got fired just like that? Because that Kyran Reed guy said so? What an *sshole! Who the h*ll does he think he is? Is he really that big of a hotshot?”“How was I supposed to know? All I know is that even the director treated him like royalty!” Freya snapped and took a big bi

Kyran’s soft and yearning gaze had never once left Deirdre’s face. He brushed messy strands of hair away from her forehead before finally typing, “Yes. Very good.”Deirdre paused and felt belatedly embarrassed. It almost felt as though she was asking for his compliment.“What do you want to play next?” he asked. “I’m all yours.”She was about to suggest something when she heard the snipping sound of a camera’s shutter. She was sensitive to sounds—the sound of a camera, most of all—and immediately turned to the direction of the sound. Kyran followed her gaze and saw a man taking pictures of them. He frowned.The man finally noticed his more outward display of displeasure and realized his mistake. He lowered his camera and began introducing himself, “Oh, I don't mean any offense! I’m a photographer, and my Spidey-Sense just couldn’t overlook the beauty in the way you two interacted and how generally beautiful the two of you are! So… I guess my job persona took hold of me before I k

Deirdre could feel the woman’s jealousy as though it was a tangible gust. She stumbled backward, but she was too late. The possessed young woman had lunged, and her fingers extended like claws at her mask.Freya yanked it down and revealed bandages covering half of Deirdre’s face. She was almost enraptured—as though she had stumbled upon a secret treasure trove. “I knew it! I knew it! The lower half of your face is not done yet! It’s still as ugly as sin! That’s why you had to wear a mask. You can’t even bear to show it to the world!”Deirdre ignored her provocation. Frowning, she demanded, “Give my mask back.”Freya was too happy as she had uncovered her secret. Mockery and schadenfreude rolled into a single gut punch when she continued. “You really think you’re some gorgeous angel fallen out of heaven, huh, b*tch? Don’t make me laugh! Most of those beautiful masked girls you see on the street actually looked like sh*t when you pull their masks away, anyway. I guess you’re no diffe

“Kyran…” Deirdre murmured. A warm glow seemed to be enveloping her chest. The corner of her lips curled. “You don’t need to say things like that to make me feel better, Kyran. I’ve gotten used to it. People have been making these comments about me for four years. I know what will happen the moment I step outside looking like this.”“Does it weigh hard on you?”Deirdre shook her head. She used to feel dejected, but not anymore, or she would not have chosen to stay in Alnwick. “If it doesn’t, then why don’t you want to step outside?” Kyran stated matter-of-factly. “The Deirdre I know doesn’t give a d*mn about what the shallow masses think of her. She lives true to herself and is comfortable with herself. All of them were stray characters who wandered into her life only to be forgotten when they were out. So… why is the same girl suddenly afraid of letting them see her now?”Deirdre froze.“Is it because of me?”Deirdre’s pupils seemed to be trembling. She looked perturbed. Freya’s