Chapter 1

(Aeliana’s POV)

My name is Aeliana Laziel.

On paper, I’m everything a school could want in a student—top of my class, neat uniform, perfect attendance, the kind of name teachers call when they need an example of excellence.

But that’s only one version of me.

The other version—the one nobody knows—lives inside a glowing screen at 2 a.m.

That version is Love, Anonymous.

Yeah, that account. The one everyone at Elmbrook Academy follows like their life depends on it. The one where secrets spill out faster than cafeteria gossip. The one people beg for advice from when their crush ignores their texts, or when they’re convinced their best friend is stabbing them in the back.

That’s me.

Aeliana Laziel: flawless angel by day, anonymous puppeteer of everyone’s love lives by night.

Two completely different people.

Both of them me.

And honestly? I thought I could keep it that way forever—until he sent a confession.

By the time I stepped through the gates of Elmbrook Academy, the chatter had already started.

“Did you see the new post last night?”

“I swear Love, Anonymous knows everything.”

“Who do you think’s behind it?”

I walked past them with my usual calm smile, my books pressed neatly against my chest. If only they knew the girl they were whispering about was standing right in front of them. But they wouldn’t. Nobody ever looked at Aeliana Laziel and thought mystery. They saw control, order, discipline. The girl who always had the right answer.

Inside, the hallway buzzed with energy. I slipped into my classroom and sat by the window, my favorite spot. Sunlight spilled across my desk, and I allowed myself one quiet breath—until the room’s energy shifted.

“Darv Aeris is here.”

The whisper floated through the classroom, followed by a ripple of excitement. I didn’t have to look up to know he’d arrived. But of course I did.

There he was, walking in like he didn’t notice the way eyes followed him. Tall, broad-shouldered, sleeves rolled up just enough to show veins on his arms—like he’d stepped out of some untouchable world and landed here by accident.

Darv Aeris. The boy who never tried, but always stood out.

He dropped into the seat two rows over, leaned back casually, and tugged a pen from his pocket. His tie was loose, his hair slightly messy, but his gaze—steady, sharp—seemed like it could cut through walls.

And I hated myself for the way my stomach flipped. Because Darv Aeris was more than just another crush.

He was the newest message sitting unread in my Love, Anonymous inbox.

The teacher droned on at the front of the room, chalk squeaking against the board, but I wasn’t listening. My phone, tucked safely in the hollow of my desk, pulsed once against my thigh. A reminder. A temptation.

Darv Aeris’s message was still waiting.

I could almost hear it whispering: open me, read me, know me.

I curled my fingers tightly around my pen and forced my eyes on the board, writing down notes I didn’t even see. Control, composure, perfection—my practiced mask. But my pulse betrayed me, quick and uneven, every second dragging until I finally caved.

With one practiced motion, I slid my phone from under the desk, tilted it against my notebook, and opened Love, Anonymous. The flood of messages greeted me as always—desperate confessions, messy heartbreaks, reckless desires—but my eyes skipped all of them until they landed on the one that mattered.

From: Anonymous User #4278

Timestamp: 12:03 a.m.

Message:

> “What do you do if you like someone you’re not supposed to like?

And worse… what if your best friend likes them too?”

I swallowed hard. My throat went dry.

The words sat there, plain and simple, but I could hear his voice woven through them—careless and smooth, the way he talked when he wasn’t paying attention. It was him. It had to be. Darv Aeris, the boy two rows away, was asking me—or rather, my faceless alter ego—for advice on forbidden love.

A laugh from across the room snapped me out of my daze. My best friend, Lyra, leaned across her desk and whispered to another girl, her eyes darting—of course—toward Darv. I clenched my jaw. Of course she’d noticed him too. Everyone did.

I shoved my phone back under my notes before anyone could see, heart hammering against my ribs. The words burned in my mind.

Someone you’re not supposed to like.

Best friend likes them too.

I didn’t know which part scared me more—that Darv had feelings for someone off-limits… or that the someone might already be sitting dangerously close.

The teacher’s voice faded again into background noise. I glanced sideways, just once. Darv sat there, pen tapping lazily against his desk, his expression unreadable. Like he hadn’t just cracked my double life open with ten careless words.

And I—I was supposed to respond.

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