Chapter 11

The silence after my words stretched longer than I expected.Samantha’s smile twitched, like she was trying to force it back into place but failing. Her friends shifted uncomfortably beside her, suddenly unsure whether this was still entertaining or if it had crossed into something they couldn’t control anymore.For a moment, I thought she would leave.But then she laughed.A short, sharp sound.“And what exactly do you think that means?” she asked, tilting her head as she looked at me like I was something amusing again.I didn’t answer immediately. I simply tightened my grip on the bucket and stood still, refusing to give her the satisfaction of seeing me flinch.Emilia, however, stepped closer to me, her voice low but firm. “It means you should stop before you embarrass yourself further.”That made one of Samantha’s friends scoff.“Oh please,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Look at her. She’s literally cleaning toilets. What pride is she even talking about?”Another girl laughed, nudg

Chapter 12

The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur.I finished cleaning the hallway long after most students had left for their next classes. Emilia stayed with me the entire time despite my repeated attempts to convince her to go."You know you don't have to babysit me," I muttered as I pushed the mop across the floor.Emilia leaned against the wall, arms crossed."And you know you're terrible at pretending you're okay."I glanced at her.She raised an eyebrow."See? Exactly."A reluctant smile almost escaped me.Almost.Because the moment I remembered Samantha's words, the small spark of amusement disappeared.You're already on Dravik's radar.The sentence had followed me all afternoon.I hated that it bothered me.I hated that his name still affected me at all.Most of all, I hated that despite everything Khaelon Dravik had done, a part of me still remembered the person I used to admire.The person I thought he was.Not this version.Not the cold student council president who seemed determ

Chapter 13

For several long seconds, I couldn't answer her, not because I didn't know what the truth was, but because I was afraid of what that truth might reveal if I finally allowed myself to say it out loud.Melanie watched me carefully, her eyes fixed on me as neither of us spoke, and the silence between us stretched longer and longer until I finally looked away."I don't know."The words left my lips much softer than I had intended.Melanie let out a quiet sigh."I think you do."I rubbed my tired eyes, and although the tears had finally stopped falling, the exhaustion remained, settling heavily over me until every part of my body felt completely drained emotionally, mentally, and physically."I don't admire who he is now."Melanie remained silent, allowing me to continue."But sometimes..."I hesitated before forcing the next words out."Sometimes I still remember who I thought he was."A sad smile slowly appeared on Melanie's face."That's different."I frowned."Is it?""Yes."She leaned

Chapter 14

For a moment, I genuinely thought I was imagining him.Jacob Morgan.Sitting directly across from me.In the library.Of all places.I blinked once.Then twice.He was still there.His dark eyes studied me for a second before a small grin appeared on his face."That's usually my chair."I stared at him."What?"He pointed at the chair he had just pulled out."This one. I sit here almost every afternoon."I looked around the nearly empty library."There are literally dozens of other chairs.""I know."His grin widened."But this one has better lighting."I glanced toward the large windows nearby.Unfortunately, he wasn't wrong.I sighed."Then I'll move."Before I could stand, Jacob raised a hand."Relax. I'm kidding."I narrowed my eyes suspiciously."You don't look like you're kidding.""That's because I'm very handsome."I almost laughed.Almost.Jacob noticed.His smile widened even further."There it is.""What?""The smile."My cheeks immediately warmed."There was no smile.""Th

Chapter 15

I had absolutely no idea why.But judging from Jacob's expression...Whatever Ford was thinking couldn't possibly be good.Ford looked between us again.Then he slowly sat down in the empty chair beside Jacob."No way."Jacob pinched the bridge of his nose."Please leave."Ford ignored him completely.Instead, he looked at me."Vida, right?"I blinked."You know my name?""Hard not to."The answer made my stomach tighten slightly.Of course.At this point, it felt like half the university knew my name.Not because of anything good.Ford rested his elbow on the table and grinned."You're kind of famous right now."I groaned."Please don't remind me."Jacob laughed quietly.Ford's eyes immediately narrowed.Then he pointed at Jacob."There it is."Jacob frowned."What?""That.""What?""That smile."Jacob looked genuinely confused.Ford looked even more amused.I had no idea what was happening."Okay," I said slowly. "I feel like I'm missing something.""You are," Ford answered."Ford."

Chapter 16

The words should’ve sounded dramatic.They didn’t.They just… lingered.Heavy.Unfinished.Like something had already started without anyone asking permission.I didn’t hear the rest of what Ford said after that.I didn’t even notice when he leaned back in his chair again, clearly enjoying whatever chaos was unfolding beyond the shelves.Because my mind was stuck on one thing.Jacob.And Khaelon.Together.Somew