LOGINJuliet sat on the edge of Adrian’s bed after Chloe’s call ended. The words kept repeating in her head.Elena wants you as her brother’s personal toy… permanently.She grabbed her laptop and started searching. Old news articles. Public records. Anything that connected Elena Knight to Mr. Voss. After almost an hour she found it.An old photo from a charity event years ago. Elena stood next to a younger Voss. The caption called them half-siblings. Another article mentioned a shared family trust. Messages Chloe had forwarded earlier lined up with the same names.Juliet’s hands shook as she screenshotted everything. She called Adrian.“I found proof,” she said the second he answered. “Elena and Voss are half-siblings. They’ve been working together the whole time. Chloe was right.”Adrian’s voice went tight. “Come over. Now. Don’t stop anywhere.”“I’m leaving right now.”“Stay on the phone until you’re in the car.”Juliet packed her laptop and walked out of the building. She kept talking wh
Juliet sat in the small off-campus apartment Adrian had rented after his suspension. The place was quiet and simple. She had snuck over after dark, careful not to be seen by anyone from campus.Adrian opened the door and pulled her inside right away. He locked it behind her and kissed her like he had been waiting all day.“I missed you,” he said against her mouth.Juliet wrapped her arms around his neck. “I missed you too. Everything feels heavier when you’re not around.”He led her to the couch. They sat close. For a while they just held each other. His hand rubbed slow circles on her back.“How’s your mother?” he asked.“Stable. The new treatment is helping. The nurses said her numbers look better.”“Good.” Adrian kissed the side of her head. “You don’t have to keep thanking me for the bill. I already told you it’s handled.”Juliet pulled back enough to look at him. “I still feel like I’m costing you too much.”“You’re not a cost.” He kept his eyes on hers. “You’re the reason I’m st
Juliet sat in the hospital waiting room with the new bill in her hands. The number at the bottom made her stomach turn. The treatment was working, but every new statement climbed higher. She had no idea how she was going to cover the next round.A nurse walked over and held out another envelope. “This came in this morning. The payment was made anonymously. Your mother’s account is clear for the next round of treatment.”Juliet stared at the paper. Paid in full. She already knew who had done it.She pulled out her phone and texted Adrian.“You paid the hospital bill. Why?”His reply came almost right away.“Because I said I would take care of you. Meet me. Hotel near the highway. Room 214. One hour.”Juliet left the hospital and took a taxi. When she reached the room, Adrian opened the door before she could knock. He pulled her inside and locked it behind them.“You shouldn’t have done that,” she said. Her voice shook a little. “You’re already suspended. If they find out you’re giving
Juliet sat on the edge of Adrian’s bed the next morning. She still wore one of his shirts. The words from last night kept turning in her head.Elena was Voss’s sister. They had planned everything together from the start.Adrian stood by the window already dressed. He checked his phone, then looked at her.“You didn’t sleep much,” he said.“Neither did you.” Juliet pulled her knees up. “She’s really his sister?”“Yes.”“And they’ve been working against you this whole time?”Adrian nodded once. “Elena wants me ruined. Voss wants Luna. They used each other.”Juliet’s hands tightened on the shirt. “What do we do now?”“We face it.” His phone rang before he could say more. He answered, listened for a few seconds, then hung up.“The dean wants both of us in his office,” he said. “Now.”They walked to campus side by side. Neither of them spoke at first. Students passed them without looking twice. When they reached the administration building Juliet finally broke the silence.“They’re going t
Adrian stood in the middle of his living room with the divorce papers in his hands. The note on top of them carried Elena’s handwriting. He had known it the second he opened the envelope, but seeing it in black ink still made his chest tight.His phone rang. Unknown number. He answered on the second ring.“Hello, Adrian,” Elena said. Her voice sounded exactly like it used to—calm, cold, and sure of itself.“What do you want?” he asked.“Meet me. Alone. The old coffee shop near campus. One hour. If you bring the girl, I release everything tonight.”The line went dead before he could answer.Adrian grabbed his keys and left. He did not text Juliet. He did not leave a note. He just drove.Elena sat at a corner table when he walked in. Same perfect hair. Same cold eyes. Same small smile that never reached her face. She looked up and pointed at the empty chair across from her.“Sit.”Adrian sat. He did not take off his jacket.“You’ve been watching us,” he said. “Sending notes. Working wit
Juliet sat on Adrian’s couch staring at the photo of Mia and the warning note. Her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.“Next time it won’t be your friend. It’ll be your mother.”Adrian paced the living room. His jaw was tight. “I’m going to find Voss and end this. He crossed a line by touching Mia.”Juliet looked up at him. “What if it’s not just Voss? What if the person sending the notes is working with him? What if they're both in this together?”Before Adrian could answer, there was a knock at the door. He opened it carefully. No one was there. Only a brown package sat on the floor. He bent low and took it, then closed the door back and went inside.He brought it inside and set it on the coffee table. Juliet watched as he opened it.Inside were old divorce papers. Adrian’s name and Elena’s name were printed clearly at the top. Under the papers was a photo of Juliet as a teenager standing in the living room of her childhood home. The angle made it clear someone had been inside the house.A
Juliet kept walking down the hallway even though her legs felt heavy. The gossip about Adrian still rang in her ears and Mia stayed right beside her, matching her steps.“You’re not fine,” Mia said. “You went white when those guys talked about Professor Knight. What’s going on? You can tell me.”Ju
Juliet walked out of the Literature building with her bag slung over one shoulder. Her mind still spun from the messages and the way Adrian had looked at her in his office and she kept her head down and moved through the crowded hallway toward her next class.Mia caught up to her fats, linking thei
Juliet walked across the campus with her head down. The morning sun felt too bright after last night's messages. She kept checking her phone, but the unknown number stayed quiet for now. Still, the words wouldn't leave her head.She reached the Literature building and stopped outside Professor Knig
Juliet pushed open the back door of Midnight Eclipse and stepped into the dim hallway. The bass from the main floor already thumped through the walls but she kept her head down as she walked to the dressing room. Lila sat in front of the mirror, fixing her makeup. "You're late, Jules. Marcus is in







