Holly did not say a word. She closed her eyes and feigned to be asleep, releasing an air of exhaustion.

Luke fell for the act and realized she was not mad at him. He let out a breath of relief and, with a thoughtful gesture, draped his jacket over her.

Unseen by him, a tear traced a silent path down Holly's cheek.

They arrived back at the Hoffmans' house to find that Cecilia had already made herself at home. She had been openly welcomed by Luke's parents, Ronald and Melissa Gilbert. Melissa could not resist a jab when she saw Holly walk in.

"Look at that, Holly. Luke and Cecilia are just perfect for each other, right?"

Cecilia's eyes flicked to Holly. "You don't look too happy, Holly. Is it because you don't like me, or because you don't like me being with Luke?"

Her words were like a bait, pulling all eyes to Holly, whose face lost a bit of color.

Melissa chuckled, playing peacemaker. "Oh, come on, Holly's the most understanding person here. Way more than Luke.

"And besides, she's already involved with someone from Yverland...

"Hi, Ms. Gilbert," Holly cut in, her voice tinged with urgency, "I'm not feeling well. I think I'll go upstairs and rest."

Melissa's eyes softened, and she nodded. "Of course, dear."

As Holly made her way up the stairs, she could hear Melissa politely suggesting Cecilia stay longer.

Cecilia quickly declined. Luke, on the other hand, was desperately trying to convince Cecilia to extend her stay.

A smirk curled at the edge of Holly's lips.

Whenever Cecilia was around, Luke had eyes for no one else.

So the days rolled on, a full week slipping away.

Luke was pretty much glued to Cecilia's side, but he had not forgotten about Holly. Every night, he would text her, trying to smooth things over.

[Hey Holly, don't be mad. My folks just think Cecilia needs a tour guide since she's new in town.]

He would write on and on.

[Once she's gone, we'll spend some time together. Remember that cool place abroad you wanted to check out?]

[Holly, you're my number one. Always. This thing with Cecilia? It's just for show, for my parents' sake.]

[And hey, you promised not to go to the Ocean Sonata Cup, right? Stick with that. Stay home and we'll have our own time.]

[Holly, I love you.]

Holly had been on the balcony when she read that. If she had not seen Luke tenderly pick up a flower that slipped into Cecilia's hair and tucked it away like a treasured keepsake, she might have kept fooling herself into believing Luke still cared for her.

Holly could not just stay still. She had been out and about with the Hoffmans, getting all her travel documents in order, even personally picking up her certificate.

Melissa and Ronald were really pleased with how well she was handling everything. They were treating her upcoming marriage like she was their own daughter, full of gifts.

Luke did not bat an eyelash when Melissa invited Cecilia to go hiking, even with Holly right there. Melissa, ever the peacemaker, chimed in, "Let's bring Holly along. It'll be good for her to get out before the big day."

With Melissa weighing in, Luke could not exactly say no. So, they left the room together, a reluctant trio.

Holly had thought about playing it cool, making up some excuse to bail. However, there she was, stuck in the middle of it all.

Luke's grip on Holly's wrist was sudden and firm. He pulled her into a hidden corner away from prying eyes.

"Holly…" Luke's voice was urgent, his body radiating a nervous heat as he leaned in close. His voice quivered, betraying a hint of fear, "Are you upset with me? There's nothing going on with Cecilia, I swear. It's all for show, to keep my parents off my back. You believe me, right?"

Holly was not in the mood to tear down Luke's facade.

She instead tried to push him away.

However, Luke clung to her even more tightly.

It was as if he was trying to prove his affection.

With one hand, Luke cradled the back of Holly's head, and he pressed his lips to hers with a boldness that left no room for argument.

His other hand started to move.

It snuck under the hem of Holly's clothes, starting to explore every piece of her.

With a familiarity that came with practice, he began to undo the clasps of Holly's undergarments.

A shadow of desire flickered in Luke's dark eyes, his throat involuntarily gulped.

He was oblivious to the resistance in Holly's eyes as he leaned in to whisper against her ear.

"Holly, I want you so bad."

A wave of nausea hit Holly.

She could not remember when she started to feel so repelled by Luke's advances.

She firmly stopped Luke's intrusive hand, took a deep breath, and fought back the impulse to slap him.

"Stop, it's not a good time. I'm dealing with... some girl stuff," she said.

At her words, Luke backed off as if he had been scalded.

He released her, and a brief look of relief crossed his face.

That look stung Holly, making her catch her breath with a twinge of pain.

At that moment, Holly realized the truth.

He did not want her.

He was just trying to keep her calm, to avoid angering her.

She stayed silent as Luke, filled with anxiety, was interrupted by his phone ringing. He stepped away to take the call and did not return.

With a blank face, Holly turned away and went back to her room to gather her belongings.

As Holly taped up the final cardboard box, Luke burst into her room without warning.

He grabbed her hand without a word and pulled her out the door. "You need to come with me," he said urgently.

He did not pause to notice the bareness of Holly's room, which was stripped of everything but the bed. Packed with boxes cluttering the floor.

However, Holly quickly realized what had sent Luke into such a panic.

The Hoffmans were livid. They had found an unopened pack of condoms in the study — a place where family honor was held in the highest regard.

Holly and Luke had been wild before, but would never dare be that reckless in the study.

Seeing what Melissa was holding, Holly felt a sudden stab of pain in her chest. Instinctively, her eyes went to Luke and Cecilia, whose beautiful eyes were brimming with tears.

Melissa, holding the incriminating evidence, spoke with icy disdain. "I get it, you're young and reckless, but you're crossing the line.

"I'm not going to come down hard on you, but you better be ready to face the consequences."

Her eyes were locked on Cecilia. She stood there with a sense of gracefulness, yet her face showed she felt deeply insulted.

"It's not mine. I would never," Cecilia declared, then turned to Luke. "And it's not Luke's. We've been together these past few days. He would never."

Her words might as well have been a neon sign pointing at Holly.

The servants had gathered, their eyes filled with a mix of scorn, contempt, and the thrill of gossip.

Their stares felt like a thousand needles jabbing at Holly all at once.

She felt a chill run through her, and as she met Melissa's searching gaze, she immediately wanted to deny it all.

Luke leaned in close, his voice a hushed plea in Holly's ear.

"Cover for Cecilia, will you? Please, Holly, I need your help just this once.

"If you won't, I'll tell everyone what happened when you turned eighteen."

Holly's whole body jolted, her eyes wide as she stared at Luke in disbelief.

A flicker of guilt passed over Luke's face, but he could not hold her gaze.

His lips were pressed together in a thin line, a sure sign he meant business.

Holly's heart throbbed with a mix of hurt and a bitter tightness. She fought back tears, her voice shaking as she whispered, "It… It was me."

Melissa let out a defeated sigh, her eyes clouding with disappointment.

"I'm going to let this go. Whatever your reason, never pull a stunt like that again."

However, Cecilia just laughed scornfully and reached out to link arms with Melissa. "Like I said, Luke's not the type to cause trouble.

"It's a good thing Holly's just a foster kid who was taken in. We'll make sure Luke keeps his distance from now on."

Her gaze on Holly was sharp, filled with challenge and scorn.

Holly bit back her tears, but as she turned away, they betrayed her.

Luke watched her go, his heart in turmoil.

He dashed after her, pulling her aside where no one could see.

"Holly," Luke's movement seemed urgent, tinged with a desperate kind of coaxing, "don't get mad, okay? I'm really sorry.

"Cecilia's got her pride. If word got out about this, it would crush her.

"And honestly, there's nothing going on between us. Cecilia's just... naive. She was curious, that's all. She didn't mean anything by it."

Holly jerked her hand away from Luke, tears streaming down her face. "So, Cecilia is the perfect one, huh? Proud, pure, and untouchable. I'm just the lowlife, am I the wild girl who deserves to be stepped on?"

Luke watched Holly's tears, it felt like his heart was shattering into pieces.

He longed to hold her and tell her he was wrong.

Right then, Cecilia's voice called out for him from behind, and he froze, his hand hanging in the air.

Holly wiped away her tears and gave Luke a small, brave smile.

"It's fine, I'm over it," she said.

With those words, she turned and walked away, thinking to herself, 'No point in getting angry over a lost love.'

Hiking day came. Luke and Cecilia's friends were all there, and Holly felt like the odd one out.

She had regretted coming the moment they started. Her stomach was in knots with cramps, and she was breaking out in a sweat. Her period had decided to show up.

However, backing out then would send the wrong message to everyone.

Nobody knew she and Luke had a thing.

To everyone else, Luke and Cecilia were the dream team, the golden couple.

Some even whispered that Holly was the only thing standing in their way. It was her stubborn refusal to leave Luke's side that stopped the golden couple.

However, Holly was not worried.

Her period cycles were like clockwork, and Luke always remembered. He would find her an excuse to leave soon enough.

However, when Cecilia complained of thirst mid-hike, Luke had everyone stop so he could fetch her favorite lemonade.

Cecilia pouted at him, "Did you forget? I don't like cold drinks."

"Don't let it go to waste though," she added, and Luke nodded.

Without a second glance, he shoved the cup into Holly's hands.

Holly gazed down at the frosty lemon juice that had suddenly been given to her. Her brain short-circuited for a second. She could not believe Luke had spaced on the fact that she was on her period and could not handle the tart, icy drink.

Laughter and jeers broke out around them.

"Luke, that's just low. You know Miss Antique can't stand Cecilia. Yet, you pass off her rejected drink to her? Miss Antique will be heartbroken… Again."

Holly was older than the rest of them.

The ones who sneered at her, they all made sure to say "Miss Antique" extra loud.

However, Holly was not ticked off about the title they used. It was Luke's attitude that really got under her skin.

Luke shot her an impatient frown, "It's just a drink. You like lemon juice too, don't you? I wasn't thinking anything of it. Let's not cause a scene with the crowd, alright?"

Holly's grip on the lemon juice tightened, the chill from the cup seeping through her fingers and straight to her heart.

She managed a feeble, "Luke, did you forget? I'm on my-"

"If Holly doesn't like it, then let's not push her," came a voice.