Chapter 4

That afternoon, a photo appeared in the group chat. It had been taken in the hallway of the club, where dozens of printed pages were scattered across the floor.

One glance was enough to make my head buzz.

Every single page was one of the private photos I'd once sent Cole.

Kyle was the one who had posted the picture.

[Wow. Quinn looks so innocent, but who knew she had this side to her?]

A few seconds later, Yvonne sent another message.

[Shit. Wrong group.]

My hands shook as I typed.

[You distributed private photos of me without my consent. That's illegal.]

Yvonne immediately sent a voice message.

"Quinn Xavier, I seriously cannot deal with you.

"We used to send pictures of Cole in the shower all over the group chat, and even he never made a fuss about it.

"They're a few pictures of you in pajamas. Do you really have to turn this into such a big deal?"

When I got to the end of the voice note, a laugh escaped me.

[If you think it's no big deal, then let's have the police explain whether it is.]

Her reply came almost instantly.

[Fine, fine. You're educated, you know the law. You're seriously impossible.]

[When you and Cole get married, are the rest of us going to need your written permission before we hang out with him?]

I stared at that message for a long time, then called the police.

I had barely hung up when Cole called.

"You seriously called the cops? Yvonne just got stitches in her hand, and you still have to blow this up today?"

I gripped my phone so tightly that my knuckles turned white.

"She spread my private photos around, and somehow I'm the one causing trouble?"

His voice sharpened.

"We already picked up the pictures. What else do you want?"

My anger finally broke through.

"People still saw them!"

He answered without thinking.

"So what if they did?"

Silence fell on both ends of the call.

Tears slipped down my face before I could stop them.

I'd always believed that even if the whole world treated me like a joke, Cole would at least protect me when it truly mattered.

Apparently, he wouldn't.

I hung up.

Half an hour later, he sent me an address.

[The hard drive with your photos is at the studio on the west side of town. If you want everything deleted, come do it yourself.]

By the time I arrived, it was already dark.

Yvonne sat on the edge of a table, one hand wrapped in thick gauze as she impatiently swung her legs.

Cole looked at me and spoke in a low voice.

"Apologize to Yvonne first. She's hurt because of you."

For a second, I genuinely thought I'd misheard him.

"Cole, I almost died today."

Something uncomfortable flickered across his face, but he quickly looked away.

"You're fine now, aren't you?"

Yvonne frowned from beside him.

"Forget it. I don't need her to compensate me for my hand. I'm just pissed that she called the police."

She looked at me as though her logic should have been obvious.

"Aiden shoved me into a pool once, and when I got out, I kicked him right back in. Nobody called the cops."

I couldn't help laughing.

"So you spread my private photos, and I'm just supposed to let that slide?"

Yvonne dragged a hand through her hair in frustration.

"I already told you, it was a joke.

"Why do you have to turn everything into something so serious?"

Before I could answer, footsteps sounded from deeper inside the studio.

Three men wearing caps emerged from the shadows, and I instinctively took a step back.

Cole moved in front of the door.

"Don't be scared. They're just here to teach you a lesson."

Then he looked at the three men.

"Ten minutes. Scare her until she admits she's wrong. Don't actually hurt her."

Cold spread through my body.

"Cole, have you lost your mind?"

He took my phone from my hand without answering.

The three men began closing in, and one of them grabbed my wrist.

Whatever tiny bit of hope I'd still been holding onto vanished.

As I struggled, I kicked over a nearby light stand. Glass shattered across the floor.

Yvonne couldn't move out of the way in time. Her injured hand came down against a sharp piece of glass, and she screamed.

"Fuck! Cole!"

Cole's expression changed instantly.

He rushed to her, bent down, and picked her up.

Panic finally took over.

"Cole! Don't leave!"

He paused.

Yvonne swore through the pain.

"What the fuck are you standing there for? Take me to the hospital!"

Cole glanced back at me, then at the men.

"Stick to the plan. Let her go after ten minutes."

With that, he carried Yvonne out.

The studio door slammed shut behind them, and the room suddenly went quiet.

The man closest to me reached back and locked the door.

"Cole's gone. Why bother pretending anymore?"

Cold sweat broke out across my back.

"Whatever he paid you, I'll double it."

They only laughed.

One of them suddenly yanked at my coat, and the sound of fabric tearing made my mind go blank.

I tried desperately to back away, but someone clamped a hand around my wrist.

"Let go of me!"

I managed to kick one of them, only to be struck hard across the face.

My ears rang as I fell to the floor.

They pinned my arms and legs while tearing at my clothes.

I stared desperately toward the door, barely able to breathe.

Cole, didn't you say this was only a joke?

Mom, Dad, I'm sorry.

I don't think I'm going to make it home.

Just as despair overwhelmed me and I was about to bite down on my tongue, a deafening crash came from outside.

"Quinn!"

I never even saw who had come in.

My consciousness disappeared completely.

Meanwhile, Yvonne had just finished having her hand treated and was still swearing from the pain.

"Am I cursed today or what?

"First she shoved me, and then I got cut by glass again."

Cole sat beside her, distracted.

He checked the time.

Forty minutes had already passed.

He called the person in charge of the studio, but even after more than ten attempts, no one answered.

For some reason, unease began building inside him.

Just as he could no longer sit still and was about to head back to the studio, the hospital television interrupted its regular programming with breaking news.

"At approximately 9:40 tonight, a fire broke out at an abandoned photography studio on the west side of town. The fire is still spreading..."

The screen switched to live footage, flames lighting up half the night sky.

Cole's phone slipped from his hand and hit the floor.