All Chapters of A Story That Doesn’t Belong To You: Chapter 51 - Chapter 60

The wind howled against the side of the lakehouse like it knew what was coming.Ryan moved carefully, closing every door behind him as he made his way to the back of the house. He kept the lights off. He didn’t want Adrien to see him. Not yet.He crouched near the kitchen window, the one that stuck slightly when opened from the outside. He’d noticed it last year during a summer trip and hadn’t thought twice about it until now.A shadow passed across the glass.Ryan’s pulse kicked.There.He didn’t see Adrien’s face, only the smooth glide of movement a silhouette with too much patience, too much control. Adrien wasn’t rushing. He was enjoying this. Thinking he was two steps ahead.But Ryan had learned.From Jake. From the months of being followed, cornered, manipulated.He had learned how predators worked and how to make them feel safe before the trap snapped shut.The kitchen window creaked softly as fingers curled underneath the frame. A slow, deliberate lift. Dust scattered as the w

The air was clearer the morning after Adrien’s arrest not just outside, but inside Ryan’s chest. For the first time in weeks, he didn’t wake up with his heart racing or his body drenched in sweat.Sunlight filtered through the blinds in soft ribbons, and the silence of the apartment was no longer a threat it was peace.Chris had left a note by the coffee machine:“Went to class. I’ll be back before lunch. Proud of you.”Even his roommate’s scrawl brought a smile to Ryan’s face.There was a strange calm in the hours that followed, like the world was holding its breath. No anonymous texts. No threats tucked into his locker. No shadows lurking behind him. It was over. Adrien was gone.But healing wasn’t immediate.When Ryan walked into his campus building, eyes turned. Whispers followed. Most people knew rumors traveled fast. Some stared with sympathy. Others with curiosity. A few still didn’t believe someone like Adrien charming, wealthy, untouchable could be capable of something so sini

He stepped onto the stage.The rows were packed with students and faculty. There was a hum of conversation that hushed as soon as he walked up to the mic. Chris was in the front row, arms crossed, nodding with encouragement. Daniel sat beside him, leaning forward, eyes locked on Ryan like he was willing strength into him from afar.Ryan took a breath. Then another.“My name is Ryan,” he began, his voice steady, “and a few months ago, I thought silence was safer than truth.”He paused, letting the weight of that sentence settle.“I thought that if I just endured, if I let things pass, it would get better. That I could outwait the fear. But I learned the hard way that silence doesn’t protect you. It isolates you.”There was a stillness in the air students frozen, listening.“I was harassed. I was manipulated. And for a long time, I blamed myself. I kept thinking, maybe I encouraged it, maybe I led him on, maybe I deserved it. But I know now that none of that was true. No one deserves t

Ryan opened his laptop and typed in the university’s student forum.It was buzzing with recent activity. Rumors about Adrien’s suspension had sparked discussions some students defending him, others sharing stories of how unsettling he had always seemed. But one comment caught Ryan’s attention:“Funny how the quiet ones are always the ones they want the most.”The profile was anonymous. But when Ryan clicked through their previous posts, a pattern emerged defenses of Adrien, cryptic lines posted minutes after Ryan made public appearances. Someone was watching. Someone close.Ryan tapped the screen. “I think we found his shadow.”Daniel narrowed his eyes. “Let’s trace the IP.”It took hours. Ryan wasn’t a hacker, but he knew his way around the student server. With Chris’s help who brought his friend from the tech department in exchange for two pizza boxes and silence they managed to isolate a dorm hall.One of the anonymous posts had been made from the east wing just a few buildings a

Ryan didn’t hear Adrien approach until the door to the student lounge creaked open and clicked shut behind him.He turned sharply, expecting Chris or Daniel. But Adrien stood there perfectly put together in his dark turtleneck and tailored coat, eyes like glass over still water. Too calm. Too deliberate.“I thought you were suspended,” Ryan said warily, backing up slightly as Adrien walked closer.“I was,” Adrien replied, voice silk over steel. “But I came back early. Quietly. No one needs to know just yet.”Ryan’s spine tensed. “You shouldn’t be here.”“I know.” Adrien stopped just a few steps away. “But I had to see you.”Ryan moved toward the exit, but Adrien shifted slightly, not blocking it just standing too near. His presence was oppressive, his gaze soaking Ryan in like he was memorizing a reflection.“You think you can run from this?” Adrien’s smile flickered. “I’m not Jake. I don’t play games with fists and fury. I watch. I learn. And I wait.”Ryan’s breath caught in his thro