Chapter 21. Rumors

Xerina’s POV

People wear masks.

It was not always the physical kind, but the ones that shielded their true selves. I saw it everywhere, in the way people interact, in the way they hide their fears and desires behind practiced smiles and careful words.

Just like I did.

Just like Rasmus did.

Just like Aura did.

At times, I wondered what it would be like if we all stripped away these layers, baring our raw, unfiltered selves. Would it be liberating, or would it be chaos?

I felt the heaviness of my own mask. It was crafted from years of expectations, disappointments, and self-preservation. I’d have perfected it to the point where even I sometimes forget what lies beneath.

Aura was right. But what scared me was the fact behind the mask, I was bare and vulnerable.

Yet, there were fleeting moments of truth when the mask slipped, and my real emotions broke through. These moments are terrifying and exhilarating. The moments Rasmus