A Secret Kiss

  * * *

  Conrad cocked his head to one side as he looked at the pretty card sitting on his bed, wondering whom it was from. Grinning, thinking it must be one of the maids who just might have a crush on him, he picked it up and opened it.

  My dearest Conrad,

  You always make me smile and I thank you for that.

  You are my favorite brother, and I love you dearly.

  Sakura

  Conrad blinked and read through the contents again. Then he realized what it meant. No, he thought. It couldn’t be right. Someone must be playing tricks on him. It must be Tristan. He rushed out of his room and ran to Sakura’s bedroom. He didn’t even bother to knock and burst in. He found the room as it was before, clean and tidy. But there were things missing. The laptop, the camera, and Sakura’s bag were all gone. That was when he realized she was really gone. He collapsed onto his knees and whispered, “Sakura.”

  Nicolas, Tristan, Logan, and Hayden came into her room then. They found Conrad beside Sakura’s bed. That was when they, too, realized she was gone—really gone.

  Conrad lifted his head to his brothers and said, “She left us.”