Chapter 2

Aria

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again, his brows furrowed in worry. “Are you really okay?”

He had already asked the same question several times since he found out what happened earlier. I never intended to tell him about the incident with Zachary Knight, but Nathaniel had a way of nagging the truth out of me. When he finally learned that Zachary’s group had humiliated me by pouring cold water over my head, he almost marched straight out of the classroom to confront him. I had to stop him. The last thing I wanted was for Nathaniel to get dragged into the mess between me and that devil.

“I said I’m fine,” I muttered irritably. “When was the last time I wasn’t?”

Nathaniel sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair in frustration. “I wasn’t even there to defend you,” he said quietly. “I promised your mom and dad that I would protect you from people who try to hurt you.”

The moment he mentioned them, my expression changed.

Mom.

Dad.

A sharp ache spread through my chest.

Nathaniel noticed immediately.

“I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “I shouldn’t have brought them up.”

But it was too late.

“I know you’re still not over what happened four years ago.”

I forced a faint smile, because he was right.

Four years had passed, yet the memory still felt as fresh as if it had happened yesterday. The pain never truly disappeared. It only hid in quiet corners of my heart, waiting for moments like this to resurface.

The worst part?

They died on my fourteenth birthday.

I still remembered our last conversation as clearly as if it were happening right now.

My phone had rung while I was sitting in the living room that night, surrounded by decorations prepared by our housemaid. Mom and Dad had promised we would celebrate my birthday together after they finished work.

“Sweetheart, wait for us, okay?” Mom said warmly over the phone. “Your dad and I are on our way home.”

They were both coming from work, and they told me they would pick me up so we could go out for dinner and celebrate properly. Whenever they were busy, our housemaid stayed with me, but despite their demanding jobs, they never failed to make time for me.

To me, our family had always been perfect.

“Okay, Mom. Drive safely,” I said.

Suddenly I heard Dad shouting loudly in the background.

“Happy birthday, our princess!”

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling.

“Your dad couldn’t wait to greet you in person,” Mom laughed.

“We love you, princess!” Dad added dramatically. “Just wait a little longer and you’ll see the most handsome father in the world and your queen-like beautiful mother!”

Mom laughed again.

“Oh, stop talking and focus on driving!” she scolded him playfully.

I listened to them banter affectionately, my heart warm with happiness. I even remember thinking that someday, I hoped I’d meet a man who loved me the way Dad loved Mom.

“Alright, sweetheart,” Mom said after a moment. “We’re almost home. Happy birthday, my angel. Mommy loves you.”

“I love you too, Mom—”

Then it happened.

A loud car horn blasted through the phone.

Mom screamed.

The call cut off.

At first, I thought the signal had dropped.

But a few hours later, the phone rang again.

And a stranger’s voice told me that my parents had died in a car accident.

Just like that.

Gone.

Forever.

I snapped back to reality when I felt someone gently wiping my cheek.

“You’re crying again,” Nathaniel said softly.

I quickly wiped away the tears myself.

“I’m not crying,” I muttered.

Nathaniel didn’t argue.

Instead, he changed the subject. “Do you still have classes today?”

I shook my head. “No. Our faculty has a meeting.”

“Oh,” he replied. “We still have one more class.”

I thought about it for a moment. My body still felt weak from the cold water earlier, and my head was starting to ache.

“Maybe I’ll just go home,” I said. “I feel tired.”

Nathaniel nodded. “That’s probably a good idea. Go rest.”

We both stood up and started walking toward the exit of the cafeteria.

But before we could reach the door—

Something hit my head.

Hard.

I flinched and instinctively grabbed the spot where the object struck me. A plastic bottle of juice rolled across the floor.

Nathaniel froze beside me.

Then his anger exploded.

“Who threw that?!” he shouted.

Before I could even turn around, a familiar voice answered lazily from across the cafeteria.

“What if I told you I did?”

I didn’t need to look to know who it was.

Still, I slowly turned.

And there he was.

Zachary Knight.

Sitting comfortably on a chair with his legs crossed, a smug grin spread across his face.

“I thought your friend was trash,” he said mockingly. “I didn’t realize she was actually a person.”

The students around him burst into laughter.

Nathaniel stepped forward immediately, ready to charge at him.

I grabbed his arm.

“Leave it,” I muttered. “Just go to class.”

He shook his head firmly.

“No,” he said. “Not this time.”

Before I could stop him again, he pushed past me and stormed toward Zachary.

“Are you even a real man?” Nathaniel shouted as he grabbed Zachary by the collar.

Zachary didn’t seem intimidated at all.

He simply smirked before standing up slowly.

“And who are you supposed to be?” he asked lazily.

Before Nathaniel could answer, I stepped between them.

“That’s none of your business,” I said coldly.

Zachary’s attention shifted back to me.

He walked closer and suddenly grabbed both of my arms tightly.

Pain shot through my shoulders as his grip tightened.

“Let her go,” Nathaniel warned.

Zachary chuckled.

“What’s wrong?” he teased. “Are you jealous?”

Despite the dizziness in my head, I noticed the faint bruise forming on his cheek—the same spot where I had punched him earlier.

The sight almost made me smile.

“Nathaniel, just leave,” I told him quietly. I didn’t want him getting involved.

Instead of listening, Nathaniel pulled me behind him, forcing Zachary to release me.

“How touching,” Zachary said sarcastically. “Is she your girlfriend?”

“When did you become such a gossip?” Nathaniel shot back. “Mind your own business.”

I almost laughed.

Zachary’s expression darkened instantly.

In a flash, he grabbed Nathaniel’s collar.

“You’ve got a lot of guts,” he growled. “You don’t even know who you’re dealing with.”

Nathaniel didn’t look the least bit scared.

“What exactly are you capable of?” he replied calmly. “Hurting girls? Are you proud of that?”

“That’s what demons do,” I muttered.

The words slipped out before I could stop myself.

Zachary’s head snapped toward me.

“What did you say?”

His eyes burned with anger.

“Hold him,” Zachary ordered his friends.

They grabbed Nathaniel immediately.

“It’s fine,” I whispered to Nathaniel. “I can handle this.”

Then I looked directly at Zachary.

“I said demons act like demons,” I repeated calmly.

He stared at me in disbelief.

Maybe he expected me to be afraid.

But my father had never raised me to be weak.

“You’re trying really hard to get my attention,” Zachary said suddenly with a crooked smile. “Do you like me or something?”

The surrounding students laughed loudly.

I stared at him like he had lost his mind.

Even Nathaniel chuckled behind me.

Without warning—

I slapped him.

The sound echoed through the cafeteria.

Zachary froze, his hand slowly touching his cheek.

“Wake up, idiot,” I said with disgust. “You must be dreaming.”

I pointed at myself.

“Me? Trying to impress you?” I scoffed. “You’re not even that handsome, and you’re already this delusional.”

I laughed coldly.

“If you’re not drunk, then maybe you’re high.”

His eyes blazed with fury.

“Mark my words,” he said quietly. “One day you’ll fall in love with me. Maybe not now… but someday.”

His confidence made me laugh even harder.

“Oh, Mr. Knight,” I said mockingly. “I admire the confidence.”

I crossed my arms.

“What makes you think I would ever fall for someone like you?”

Suddenly he pulled me closer by the waist and leaned near my ear.

“Because even if you think I’m a devil,” he whispered, “I can still take you to heaven in my bed.”

A shiver ran down my spine.

But I refused to show weakness.

I smirked instead.

“Careful, Mr. Knight,” I replied softly. “You might regret that.”

I leaned closer.

“Because once you bring me to that ‘heaven’ you’re talking about… you might be the one who can’t stop coming back.”

I grabbed Nathaniel’s arm and started walking away.

The shocked look on Zachary’s face almost made the entire situation worth it.

“Don’t think too much about what I said,” I called back over my shoulder.

“You might lose sleep tonight.”

But as I dragged Nathaniel out of the cafeteria, my heart suddenly started beating faster.

I pressed my hand against my chest.

Why won’t you calm down?

Why does it feel like something just started… instead of ending?