LOGINWhen Liana Brooks, a quiet scholarship student, steps into the elite halls of Crestwood University, she only has one goal — to graduate without drawing attention. But fate has other plans when she collides — quite literally — with Axel Knight, the campus bad boy with a reputation darker than his leather jacket. He’s arrogant, untouchable, and dangerously charming. She’s focused, stubborn, and immune to his games. Until one reckless rumor forces them into a fake relationship — a deal meant to save her scholarship and clean up his image. But what begins as a pretended connection soon unravels something real. Beneath Axel’s tattoos hides a broken past he’s desperate to forget, and beneath Liana’s calm lies a fire she never knew she had. As secrets surface and emotions ignite, both will learn that love isn’t about taming someone else — it’s about finding the courage to face the rebel within. He was her chaos. She was his calm. Together, they became something dangerously beautiful.
View MoreLiana’s POVThe sky tears like paper.A crack of white light splits the clouds, stretching across the horizon until the whole world seems to pulse with a blinding glow. The wind whips at my hair, stinging my cheeks, but I can’t look away.Because the voice — that cold, synthetic voice — echoes again, vibrating through my bones:> “Initialization successful.”Beside me, Axel stiffens. The cube in his hand glows red-hot, pulsing like it’s syncing with something in the air.“Axel,” I whisper, gripping his arm. “We need to move—”But he doesn’t turn. He’s staring straight ahead, where the ruins of the Genesis Core begin to rise, debris lifting off the ground as if gravity is being rewritten.The light condenses into a column, swirling, shaping, shifting.And then I see her.A silhouette.No — a figure.No — a projection wearing my face.My breath snags in my throat.Her eyes open in the light — the same shape as mine, but glowing sharp-white, cold and merciless.“Liana,” Axel murmurs, hor
Liana’s POVThe air in the observatory feels different tonight.It’s been weeks since the storm ended — since the light swallowed everything, since I opened my eyes and saw Axel’s tear-streaked face. The world outside has started to heal; the air is lighter, the power grids hum again, and the night sky glows with unfamiliar clarity.But sometimes, when the wind blows through the cracks in the dome, I still hear the echo of a voice that isn’t mine.> You can’t erase what’s written in code.I squeeze my eyes shut, pressing my palms against my temples until the sound fades.“Liana?” Axel’s voice pulls me back. He’s leaning against the doorframe, a soft light in his hand — a lantern made from broken circuitry. His hair’s a mess, his shirt rolled to his elbows, the tired kind of handsome that only people who’ve fought too hard can carry.“You okay?”I nod, though I’m not sure it’s true. “Just… thinking.”He crosses the room and places the lantern on the table beside the cracked telescope.
Liana’s POVThe night tastes like electricity.The storm above the ruins paints everything in flashes — silver, white, blue — like the world itself is glitching.Axel and I run through the rain-soaked streets, breathless, half-blind, the hum of the machines echoing behind us. Every thunderclap sounds like the city’s dying heartbeat.We don’t stop until we reach the old observatory on the outskirts — one of the few places untouched by Genesis’s reach. The doors groan open, revealing the hollow skeleton of the dome and shattered telescopes.Axel collapses beside the console, drenched and shivering.“We can’t keep running forever,” he says. “It’s tracking you.”“I know.” My voice shakes, though I try to steady it. “Because it is me.”That truth burns through me, heavier than fear. I can still feel her — the reflection from the terminal — inside my thoughts. Watching. Waiting.“She’s connected to my neural code. As long as I exist, she does too.”Axel looks at me, his eyes dark with somet
Liana’s POVThe first breath burns.Air floods into my lungs like fire and ice all at once. My body feels heavy, unfamiliar — as if it’s learning how to exist again.A voice breaks through the ringing in my ears.“Liana… stay still. You’re safe.”Safe. That word doesn’t fit the world anymore. But it’s Axel saying it, and for a moment, that’s enough.The glass above me slides open with a hiss. Cold air rushes in. His hands are the first thing I feel — rough, trembling, grounding me.He helps me sit up slowly, wrapping a blanket around my shoulders. The lab around us is unrecognizable — half-ruined, filled with broken lights and dripping pipes.“How long… was I out?” I manage to whisper.“I don’t know,” he says quietly. “The system doesn’t have a clock anymore. Maybe hours. Maybe days.”I look at him — his face smeared with ash, eyes red from exhaustion. “You didn’t leave.”“Couldn’t,” he says. “Didn’t want to.”Something tightens in my chest. I should be angry. I should demand answers.
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