Unspoken Things
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg84g65PneK
It started with the little things.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQrPGGi9jm
Cinderella—Ella—would fold her napkin perfectly at dinner. She would brush her hair without leaving a single strand out of place. She always said “please” and “thank you,” even when no one was really listening.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPbOqdr53at
Anatasia noticed it all.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyEIVXrzA1
At first, she tried to ignore her. Pretend she wasn’t there. But Ella had a way of being noticed even in silence. Even when she wasn’t trying.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vX6MlLRg9
One morning, Anatasia stepped into the drawing room and found Ella sitting at the piano. She wasn’t playing. Just touching the keys gently, like they were sleeping.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6nXxRCkbzW
“You play?” Anatasia asked before she could stop herself.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKEnrgChxcZ
Ella looked up. “Not really. My father used to play. I just like the sound of it.”
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡahA5MCfz51
Anatasia said nothing. For a moment, they just sat there in the soft quiet. No insults. No fake smiles. Just two girls in a too-large house filled with too much memory.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBH19hjqHPx
“I’m sorry about your father,” Ella said softly.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt6dItL08D
Anatasia’s throat tightened. It was the first time anyone had said it out loud. The first time someone acknowledged the weight she carried.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp8qSA5wKBi
“Don’t be,” Anatasia muttered, standing up. “Everyone dies eventually.”
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gwkpThsxq
She left before Ella could say anything else. Her hands were shaking.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3QYgeXbwMh
She didn’t hate Ella.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡchLwHqfacz
But she hated how kind she was. How soft her voice sounded. How even her sorrow seemed prettier than hers.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMQ5Al4WheL
Days passed. Then weeks.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0pI7kVfR9O
Victor and her mother grew closer. Their laughter filled the halls again—but it wasn’t the same. It was sharper. Louder. Like they were trying to convince themselves they were happy.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDly3588kv
And now Ella was everywhere.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9nLDd47w2
She sat in the garden with her little book. She helped the maids without being asked. She even baked once. The cook cried and said she reminded her of someone long gone.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw0cQRfMvym
Everyone adored her.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5LByJPBd8
Even the house.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7l55MU3jPd
Anatasia began to avoid the drawing room. The piano. The garden.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLtHQe7hK7
It wasn’t that she wanted to hate Ella. She just didn’t know how to love anyone anymore.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6TVBN7KDWx
And slowly, silently, a seed of something darker began to grow in her heart.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOr2sENEUjY
No
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlEerCXbvJc
t hate.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyR8yPqw2zr
Just the feeling of not being enough.
25Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHSJwObVCha
→ Request update
and then Add to home screen.