22:39 Chapter 18 The teacher let out a sigh , Evelina , youve been daydreaming a lot lately . You havent mastered the content weve been reviewing , and its going to hurt your exam scores . Evelinas cheeks flushed , Im sorry . It wont happen again . Her loyal friend quickly jumped in , Lemira has been really focused lately . Im sure she knows the answer . Now , all eyes were on Lemira , most of them expecting a good laugh . After all , Lemiras grades were usually below Evelinas , so the odds of her knowing the answer were slim . But Lemira stood up , answering the question clearly and correctly . The teacher looked surprised , Correct answer , Lemira . Youve been working hard lately . The rest of you could learn something from her . Dont slack off . kelina stole a glance at Lemira , seething with jealousy . If it hadnt been for all the time wasted on video games , she could have been the one who correctly answered the question . Now Lemira had stolen her thunder , which was infuriating ! She knew she had to catch up . After being praised , Lemira felt a lot better . After school , she didnt head to the infirmary as usual but went straight home to the Langstons . She needed to be careful not to let Lucian catch on to anything . Sure enough , upon her return , the butler kept an uncomfortably close eye on her . After dinner , Lemira went straight to her room , locking the door behind her , finally feeling a bit more at ease . While doing her homework , she pulled out her phone , contemplating whether to message Orion since she hadnt visited him today . But it seemed like he wasnt waiting for her ; it was always her taking the initiative . Should she send a message ? Lemira stared at her phone , indecisive . Maybe she could wait a bit longer before sending a message ? She set down her phone and continued with her homework , but soon her eyelids began to droop , likely a result of staying up all night . She decided to rest her head on the desk for a moment , only to fall asleep accidentally . The next morning , Lemira was jolted awake by her alarm . She glanced at the time , wondering how it was already morning . After getting ready and scrambling downstairs , she hurried to school . At lunch , she hesitated for a moment before turning towards the infirmary . But Orion wasnt there . Gathering her courage , she asked the doctor inside , Wheres Dr. Everhart ? He went out for lunch . Lemira nodded , planning to return after school . When she did return in the afternoon , Orion was still absent , with the same doctor during the day present instead . The doctor looked at her , Young lady , Im on duty today . Focus on your studies and dont think about these things . Youre too young for that . Lemira blushed deeply , leaving without further explanation . Over the next few days , she sneaked to the infirmary but never saw Orion . She began to feel a bit lost , having grown accustomed to him being there . Lemira realized she had started to depend on Orion . She quickly adjusted her mindset , reminding herself that she needed to rely on her own strengths . She settled herself down and focused on preparing for the upcoming exams . She couldnt afford to lose ! After the exams , Lemira felt she had done well . She might even make it into the top hundred . But everyone else seemed to complain about the difficulty of the questions . She opened her phone , hesitating over what to message Orion . They werent that close after all . Struggling with social interactions , she turned off her phone in frustration . Returning home in good spirits , Lemira found the living room bustling with her brothers , none of whom had gone to training camp as expected . Her arrival quieted the room , seeming to cast a shadow over the joyous gathering , as if she was the intruder disrupting the fun . Discover our latest featured short drama reel. Watch now and enjoy the story!