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"I hate you," Eleanor yelled at the startled hybrid who kept staring down at her like he had never seen her before.

No one had ever uttered such mean words to her before. It had struck deeper than any knife could and it hurt so much, she couldn't bear it.

Perhaps, it hurt so much because it was the truth.

Was that why no one loved her or cared for her like they did Cassy? Because she was nice and oddly gullible? Eleanor always believed that your best qualities are those things that make you stand out from the rest.

She didn't want to be like Cassy. She wasn't made to be kind or subservient. She was smart, and a woman who would always go after what she wanted. She was not weak. She was strong.

She didn't need to be loved by everyone. She only ever wanted to be loved by that one person. And he was Lino. No one else mattered to her as much as he did. The opinion of other people didn't matter to her as well.

But why then, did it hurt so much? She couldn't stop