All Chapters of Rejected by One, Wanted by Another : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Lucy sat at a small wooden desk in the very last row of the history section, in the library. She was at a hidden corner that the overhead lights barely reached her. She kept her head down, her eyes tracing the same line of a textbook for twenty minutes without processing a single word. Every time the heavy front doors creaked open in the distance, her heart jumped. She was hiding, and she knew it.She heard the footsteps before she saw him. She didn't look up, but the air around her suddenly felt charged, a shadow stretched across her open book, and then the chair across from her was pulled back.Jonathan sat down and set a heavy stack of folders on the table and opened his laptop. The blue light of the screen hit his face, making the sharp angles of his jaw look like they were carved from stone. He looked tired, but his eyes were cold."We have three sections left to finish before the weekend," Jonathan said. His voice was flat, completely devoid of the warmth she had felt in his a

The ride home from the Matthews estate was quiet. Adrian was already tipsy from drinking too much wine. He kept his hand on Lucy’s thigh, his thumb stroking the red silk of the dress Zoe had picked out. Lucy sat still staring out at the blurred streetlights, feeling the cold night air from the window hitting her bare back. When the car finally pulled up to her dorm, Adrian didn't get out. He simply leaned over and whispered into her ear. “You should keep the dress. It reminds me that you’re mine.” Lucy didn't answer. She climbed out of the car, her legs shaking, and waited until the car disappeared before she sighed, she was almost crying. She couldn’t go inside. She needed to take a walk to clear her head. She walked towards the campus gardens, it was already deserted as most students had gone to their dorms. She walked quickly, her heels clicking against the stony path until she reached a dark path. The cold night air was making her shiver. She sat on a stone bench and ben

Lucy barely felt the cold morning air, as Adrian dragged her to the administrative courtyard. His grip on her upper arm was extremely tight, his fingers digging into the soft skin just above where her bruise was starting to turn yellow. Zoe followed a few paces behind, pretending to be worried. "Adrian, maybe we should just go to brunch first?" Zoe suggested, her voice breathless. "Everyone is looking. You’re making such a scene, and Lucy is clearly terrified. Maybe there’s a simple explanation we haven't thought of yet." "The explanation is that she’s a liar," Adrian snapped, not even turning his head. He pulled Lucy to a stop in front of the main security office near the campus gates. He threw the leather jacket onto the counter with a heavy thud. The gray-haired guard inside looked up from his coffee, startled. "Which one of your men gave this to my fiancée last night?" Adrian demanded. His voice was loud, echoing off the stone walls of the nearby dorms. Several students st

The week had been a long and exhausting one. Lucy decided it was time to go home to see her family, at least to get away from everything happening at school—the cold stares from Adrian, Zoe’s new attitude and the heavy weight of the Matthews’ name. More than anything, she missed her little brother, Leo. He was the only person who didn't want anything from her except a hug and a story.When the train pulled into her small hometown station, she felt relieved. She walked up the familiar gravel path to the Quinn estate. It was a beautiful grand house, but it felt different now, there was a quietness to it now, maybe it was the lack of bustling staff and grand parties that used to fill the halls."Lucy! Lucy!The front door opened and a small body slammed into her waist. It was Leo, her seven years old brother, he squeezed her so hard his face turned red. He was wearing his favorite dinosaur t-shirt, and his dark curly hair was messy. "I missed you so much, peanut," Lucy whispered, lifti

The drive from her home to school was quiet. Lucy did not expect Adrian to come welcome her. She had barely stepped out of the black car when she saw Adrian leaning on his silver coupe. “Welcome back Lucy.” Adrian said, his voice surprisingly soft. “Thank you.” Lucy said sounding tired. He didn't mention the weekend. He didn't ask how her father was. Instead, he just walked over, took her bag, and opened the passenger door.“Get in. We are going out “"Adrian, where are we going? I have a lecture in less than an hour.""Don't worry about the lecture, Lucy," Adrian said, his voice smooth and relaxed. "I had Zoe call your professor. You’re taking the afternoon off. I realized things have been a bit heavy lately, and I wanted to make it up to you." Adrian said as he slid to the driver seat and started driving. He drove quietly for about thirty minutes and pulled the car up to the curb in front of Vienne’s, a high-scale boutique. As they stepped inside, the cool air smelled of expen