was just a moon reflecting his light.
One night, she found him in his private gym, lifting weights with a ferocity that bordered on pain.
“Why do you still work so hard at it?” she asked. “The suit is gone. You’ve already won.”
Sebastian dropped the weights with a thunderous clang. He turned to her, sweat slicking his chest, his eyes dark. “Because I can still feel it, Clara. I can still feel the weight. I can still hear the laughter of people like Vanessa. I spent three years being a ‘pig’ to see who would stay, but the truth is, I became that person. I’m afraid that if I stop, the mask will become my reality again.”
Clara realized then that Sebastian’s disguise hadn’t just been a test for others—it was a prison for him. He was obsessed with perfection because he was terrified of being rejected again.
“You’re
