บททั้งหมดของ Dirty and Sinful Collection: บทที่ 291 - บทที่ 300

8Sienna.By Monday, everything had changed.Rumors swept through campus like wildfire—someone had seen something, heard something, pieced together the shadowy corners and lingering glances we thought were hidden. Whispers trailed me down every hallway. My friends eyed me with curiosity too sharp to be innocent. Professors spoke my name with new caution, and even the air in Adrian’s classroom felt charged, brittle, as if it might shatter at any moment.I told myself I didn’t care. But the truth was, fear lived under my skin now—hot and jagged, scraping at every nerve. I kept my head down. I scrolled through cryptic messages: Is it true? and Heard you were “helping” Dr. Wolfe after hours. I wanted to scream, but I swallowed it, held it in and locked it up tight.By afternoon, I couldn’t stand it any longer. I needed to see him.He texted first but it was just a time and a room number: 5:45. Room 208.That was the old part of the building that was barely used after dark. I slipped out be

1Sienna.Graduation night tasted like possibility and goodbye. The air was warm and heavy, threaded with the scent of cut grass and fireworks, a low, steady thrum of celebration rolling across campus. I wore my cap and gown until the last photo was snapped, the last hug given, my cheeks flushed with champagne and relief and exhaustion.But even in the center of the crowd, I was waiting. For a message, for a sign from him.At 11:13 p.m., my phone buzzed.Rooftop. The science building. One last time. Please.I slipped away before anyone noticed. The city was wide awake, the university awash in gold light. I climbed the narrow stairwell to the top of the science building, heart pounding.He was there, leaning against the low wall, looking out at the city like he was memorizing it. He wore no suit tonight, just dark jeans and a shirt rolled to the elbows. Adrian turned as I closed the door, his eyes hungry and soft all at once. In the faint glow, he looked younger and a little lost.I let

2VivianThere was something dangerous about the way sunlight made me reckless. It was a lazy, golden afternoon and the world felt suspended, our quiet house tucked behind its walls, Gerald long gone for another endless week of business. It was just me and Landon—again—and even though I told myself it was nothing, even though I told myself I was safe, I could feel trouble humming just beneath my skin.I hadn’t meant to wear the blue swimsuit. I’d bought it for a fantasy version of myself—a woman who didn’t have to worry about tan lines or hungry eyes. But it was the only thing that fit after a winter of too much comfort food, and when I’d caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror, I’d almost changed. The suit was cut high on the hips, scooped low across my breasts, and the fabric was almost sheer when wet. I told myself it didn’t matter, that Landon had seen me in swimwear before, but as I stepped out onto the patio, I knew I was lying to myself.He was already in the water, sunlight

6Vivian.There’s a certain kind of silence that settles over a house at night. It’s heavier than the hush of morning, deeper than the stillness of afternoon. It’s the kind of silence that makes you realize just how empty your life can feel, even when the rooms are full of things—flowers in a vase, neatly stacked books, half-drunk glasses of wine.Gerald had called from Tokyo, his voice tinny and distant, full of promises to come home “as soon as this deal closes.” I’d hung up and stared at the pool for a long time, watching the moonlight ripple across the water, feeling lonelier than I wanted to admit.That’s where Landon found me. I heard the patio door slide open behind me, then the soft pad of his bare feet on the stone.“You couldn’t sleep either?” he asked, settling onto the chaise lounge next to mine.I shook my head, hugging my knees to my chest. “Not tonight.”He studied me in the low light. Out here, under the stars, he looked softer—less like a threat, more like the boy I’d

6Vivian.Sometimes, I tell myself that what I feel for Landon is a kind of madness. That it’s all the loneliness and emptiness I’ve been holding inside for years, pouring out in the wrong direction. Sometimes, I almost believe it. But then I see him—really see him—and I know it’s more complicated, more real, and infinitely more dangerous.The truth is, I’m not good at sharing. Maybe I never was.Today was an ordinary afternoon, hot and thick with summer, the house heavy with the kind of stillness that only comes after a thunderstorm. Gerald was out playing golf, and I wandered out onto the back patio with a book, hoping to quiet my restless thoughts. But my gaze kept drifting to the garden, to the pool, anywhere I thought Landon might be.When I finally found him, my heart stumbled. He wasn’t alone.A girl was with him, tall, slim and beautiful in that effortless way of youth. She laughed, tipping her head back, and he smiled, easy and open, that grin he never showed me anymore. They