Masuk~LUCAS~I shouldn’t have said all that to Stella.The thought doesn’t come gently. It hits me like something thrown straight at my head….sharp, unexpected, impossible to ignore. It lingers for half a second longer than I want it to… before I shove it away.Because the truth?I don’t regret it enough.Not enough to wish I could take it back. Not enough to feel guilty.Stella deserved every single word.Every. Single. One.Still… the look on her face when I said it…the way her eyes shattered, the way her hand trembled before she slapped me….the way the entire cafeteria went silent like the world itself paused just to watch her break…It lingers annoyingly.Like something stuck under my skin I can’t claw out.“Damn it,” I mutter under my breath, dragging my hand through my hair as I pace down the empty corridor.My footsteps echo too loudly against the walls, each one feeding the storm already building inside me. I shove my other hand into my pocket, but it doesn
~MARCELLA~Lucas is right on time and I can't be more pleased than I am right now.So what do I do?I look away.Like I didn’t see him. Like he doesn’t exist. Like he doesn’t matter.My fingers tighten slightly around the spoon in my hand, betraying me for just a second.My heartbeat stutters, then races, then steadies as I force my expression into something calm… unaffected. But inside? Inside, I’m very aware of him. Of the way the air shifts when he walks in. Of the way my body recognizes his presence before my eyes even doAnd then… I turn back to Albert with a soft smile.“Here,” I murmur, picking up another spoonful.And I feed him again…. slower this time, and more intentional.I tilt my head slightly, letting my fingers linger just a second longer than necessary. It’s subtle, but deliberate. Every movement is calculated. Every second stretchedAlbert catches on immediately.His fingers brush mine, his gaze deepening, his attention completely on me like
~MARCELLA~I wake up with a strange heaviness in my chest.It’s not sharp enough to hurt… not something I can point at and name. It just sits there, quiet and stubborn, like a feeling that refuses to leave even after sleep.For a few seconds, I don’t move.I just lie there, staring at the ceiling, watching the faint morning light creep through the curtains and paint soft lines across my room.My mind is blank and peaceful at first.Then reality settles in.And just like that… the feeling deepens.No joint class today.My lips press together slowly, my fingers tightening slightly against the bedsheet.Which means…No Lucas.No watching him.No him watching me.No accidental glances that linger too long.No silent battles across a classroom.No tension thick enough to choke on.No watching him try to act unaffected.No watching him fail.No chance to push him, to provoke him, to make him jealous.A quiet sigh escapes me before I can stop it, my chest rising and fal
~MARCELLA~I don’t realize when the lecture ends.One minute, the professor is still talking… his voice blending into the background noise of my thoughts… and the next, chairs are scraping, bags are zipping, students are standing.It takes me a second to catch up.Wait… it’s over?I blink, looking around as people begin to file out of the classroom in clusters, laughter and chatter filling the air like nothing just happened.Like my heart hasn’t been in a constant war for the past hour.Like I haven’t been sitting between two storms, pretending I’m not the reason they exist.I exhale slowly, my fingers tightening around my pen.Okay….good.Now Lucas will leave.He has another lecture… he always does after the joint class.This is where he stands up, walks out, disappears into his own world… and gives me space to breathe again.I wait for one second….then two, five, ten.He doesn’t move.My brows pull together slightly.That’s… strange.Slowly, I turn just enoug
~MARCELLA~I can feel both of them.Albert in front of me… steady, confident, possessive.Lucas behind me… tense, burning, barely holding himself together.And I’m right in the middle of it…. caught, split and breaking.My fingers are still tangled with Lucas’, his grip firm like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go. In front of me, Albert hasn’t moved away either—I can still feel the ghost of his touch at my waist, like a silent claim he hasn’t withdrawn.God.This is a mess.A dangerous, messy, beautiful disaster that I created.And now… I have to choose.For a second…just a second….I imagine what would happen if I go with Albert. The whispers would get louder. The looks sharper. Lucas… God, Lucas would…..My chest tightens painfully.No….not like that.Not in front of everyone.Not where he’ll have to stand there and take it.Not where they’ll laugh at him.Not where I’ll become the girl who humiliated him.I swallow hard, forcing my expression to remain
~LUCAS~I know something is wrong the moment I step through the school gate.It’s not loud at first.Just off….a shift in the air.The usual morning noise….the chatter, laughter, footsteps, arguments over nothing, it’s all there… but distorted. Like it’s happening far away. Like I’m walking into something I wasn’t meant to see.Clusters of students gathered ahead, not moving, not walking to class….just standing, watching something. Whispering. Phones half-raised. Heads turning in the same direction like they’re pulled by a string.My steps slow, and a frown pulls at my brows.A strange, uneasy feeling creeps into my chest.“What’s going on…?” I mutter under my breath, more to myself than anyone else.No one answers.No one even looks at me, which is unusual, because after that dinner party, I'm always getting attention wherever I go.But today, they're too focused.Too invested in whatever is unfolding ahead.That uneasy feeling sharpens.Then I hear it…..“
~FLASHBACK CONTINUES~As I sat frozen on the floor of that dorm room, Alessandro rose to his feet without hesitation.He walked to me slowly, each step deliberate. My stomach twisted with nerves and curiosity as he reached out a hand to help me up.Everyone was watching us….smirking, whispering, gi
Alessandro stands in the middle of his father’s office, tall and impassive, hands in his pockets, face unreadable. His black shirt clings to his frame, sleeves rolled to the elbows, veins prominent, tattoos peeking at his wrists. The room is thick with tension.Behind the heavy mahogany desk sits
~ELENA~His mouth crashes against mine, hot and urgent, stealing the breath right out of my lungs.I push at him instinctively, but his body doesn’t budge… solid, immovable, like the wall behind me. It's like pressing against stone. His hands cage me in, one braced beside my head, the other gripping
~ELENA~I push Alessandro away from me but he doesn't look good. Instead he drags me to the far end of the room, pinning me against the cold wall again.“Let me go” I beg with my eyes since his hand is still over my mouth.He opens his mouth to speak but is interrupted.A







