Scars You Can't See

It had been five days since Liam first spoke to her.

Five days of quiet messages.

Five days of walking beside each other like the world had slowed just for them.

And five days of feeling again — something Emily had forgotten how to do without pain.

But feelings have shadows too.

And Liam's… were starting to show.

---

It began with the little things.

At school, Liam was normal — calm, kind, distant in that mysterious way that made people either ignore him or secretly want to know him.

But Emily noticed the subtle shifts.

He flinched at sudden loud noises.

He never answered calls — always silenced his phone the moment it buzzed.

And when someone casually mentioned "family," he’d turn quiet, as if the word itself held a bruise.

---

That Friday, they were sitting by the river — their secret spot now — just outside town, where the water whispered and the air always smelled like pine.

Emily sat on the stone wall, legs swinging gently, her scarf wrapped loosely around her neck.

Liam stood below, tossing stones into the water with soft plunks.

She finally asked, voice barely above the breeze, “Why don’t you ever talk about home?”

He stopped.

Didn’t turn. Didn’t speak.

For a moment, she regretted it. She looked down, ready to apologize — but then he said quietly,

"My mom left when I was ten. Just… left. No note. No goodbye. Just gone."

Emily’s heart dropped.

He continued, "Dad... changed after that. Like something broke in him too. He’s not cruel, just... empty. There’s nothing warm in that house anymore.”

He turned to look at her finally.

“I guess I stopped expecting people to stay after that.”

The sadness in his eyes wasn’t loud — it was quiet… like a song you don’t notice until it’s already deep under your skin.

Emily slid down from the wall and walked toward him slowly.

She didn’t hug him.

Didn’t say sorry.

Didn’t offer any perfect words.

She simply stood beside him and whispered, “You’re not invisible to me.”

Liam looked at her for a long time — as if those words filled a space inside him he didn’t even know was empty.

---

They walked back to town in silence, the kind that felt like music.

When they reached her street, he stopped walking. Looked down at her.

“You make the world feel… less heavy,” he said, almost shyly.

She smiled — soft, real.

“So do you.”

---

Later that night, she stared at her ceiling again, only this time she wasn’t asking why people always hurt her.

She was wondering how someone so full of hurt could still be so gentle.

And in her chest, something had started to bloom — fragile, but real.

Not just feelings.

Hope.

---

But love is never just softness.

In the shadows, someone else was watching.

Someone from Emily’s past.

Someone who had once broken her… and now, they were coming back.

---

✨ End of Episode 5

In Episode 6, Emily will be forced to face the person who once hurt her deeply — and Liam will have to decide whether to protect her… or walk away like everyone else.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***