EIRA'S POV:
One thing was absolutely certain.
Adrain Blake needed psychiatric help.
I sat in the passenger seat of his car, staring blankly through the window while replaying the events of the past few days over and over in my head.
And yes.
The control freak had done exactly what he promised.
First, he dragged me out of my hostel.
Then he practically kidnapped me into his mansion.
Then he forced me to stay there for the night.
And now?
Now he was personally driving me to college like some terrifyingly overprotective bodyguard.
Sometimes I honestly wondered if he'd ever had a normal conversation in his life.
Why did everything have to be his way?
Why did he always have to command instead of ask?
Why was he so unbelievably controlling?
I was so busy glaring at the passing trees that I didn't even realize we'd reached college until the car came to a smooth stop.
The moment Adrain stepped out—
A blur rushed toward him.
A girl threw herself into his arms.
Wrapped around him so tightly that I genuinely wondered if the poor guy could still breathe.
And of course...
It was Victoria.
Who else?
My stomach immediately sank.
Nope.
Not staying here.
Absolutely not.
I quietly slipped out of the car and began sneaking away before she noticed me.
One step.
Two steps.
Three—
My foot caught on absolutely nothing.
And I went flying.
Face first.
Right onto the ground.
I closed my eyes.
Wonderful.
Just wonderful.
At this point, gravity and I clearly had a personal vendetta against each other.
The sharp click of expensive heels echoed toward me.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Cruel.
I looked up.
Victoria stood above me like a queen looking down at a servant.
Her expression twisted with disgust.
"What are you doing here?" she sneered.
The contempt in her voice was enough to make my skin crawl.
Before I could even answer—
Adrain's hand closed around her wrist.
My heart skipped.
For one stupid second...
One stupid, hopeful second...
I thought he was going to defend me.
Instead—
"Nothing."
His voice was cold.
Indifferent.
"She was just trying to get my attention."
The words hit harder than any slap.
"You know these types of girls."
His gaze briefly flickered toward me.
Emotionless.
Detached.
Like I meant absolutely nothing.
"Let's go. We're getting late."
For a moment...
I couldn't breathe.
The world seemed to go completely silent.
I stared at him.
Waiting.
Waiting for him to take it back.
Waiting for him to explain.
Waiting for anything.
Nothing came.
He simply turned and walked away.
Victoria's victorious smile was the last thing I saw before my eyes dropped to the floor.
Something sharp twisted painfully inside my chest.
How stupid.
How unbelievably stupid I had been.
For one tiny moment, I had actually started believing there was something decent hidden underneath all that arrogance.
But there wasn't.
There was only Adrain Blake.
Cold.
Cruel.
Untouchable.
The bell rang.
I immediately turned and ran.
Because if I stayed there for one second longer...
I might actually cry.
And I refused to let Victoria see that.
✦ ✦ ✦
The rest of the morning passed in a blur.
English.
Chemistry.
Biology.
Words were spoken.
Lectures happened.
People laughed.
But I heard none of it.
Though one thing was painfully obvious.
Adrain was a phenomenal actor.
Maybe because lying came naturally to him.
By lunch break, I couldn't find Tessy anywhere.
Not in the cafeteria.
Not in the library.
Not outside.
Then I spotted her.
And my heart sank.
Peter's arms were wrapped around her.
She looked so happy.
So safe.
So in love.
And it made me sick.
Because I knew the truth.
And she didn't.
"We should go," I forced myself to say.
"We'll be late."
✦ ✦ ✦
The biology lab felt suffocating.
Tessy couldn't stop smiling.
Every few minutes she'd glance at her phone and blush.
Every smile felt like another knife twisting in my chest.
Because I knew.
And soon...
She would know too.
The bell finally rang.
Students immediately began packing their things.
My heart started pounding.
This was it.
Now or never.
"Tessy."
She looked up.
"I need to talk to you."
"Not now!" she laughed.
"Peter's waiting for me."
She started walking away.
Panic surged through me.
No.
Not this time.
I grabbed her wrist.
"Tessy."
My voice trembled.
The smile slowly disappeared from her face.
Something in my eyes must have frightened her.
Because she stopped moving.
"I know this is going to hurt."
I swallowed painfully.
"But you need to see this."
Slowly...
I handed her my phone.
The video began playing.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
I watched the color drain from her face.
Watched disbelief become pain.
Watched her entire world shatter in front of my eyes.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
Then another.
My own vision blurred.
God.
I hated this.
I hated hurting her.
But she deserved the truth.
Suddenly—
"Tessy?"
Peter.
He froze the second he saw her tears.
For a split second...
Fear flashed across his face.
Then it disappeared.
Gone.
Replaced by calm.
Perfect control.
Perfect manipulation.
He looked at me.
And smiled.
My blood ran cold.
That smile wasn't nervous.
It wasn't worried.
It was confident.
Far too confident.
"Why did you do this, Eira?" he asked softly.
I blinked.
"What?"
He sighed.
Like I'd broken his heart.
Like he was the victim.
"I know you're jealous."
Tessy's head jerked up.
Peter continued.
"You've liked me for a long time."
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" I shouted.
"But Tessy is your friend."
His voice cracked perfectly.
"How could you betray her like this?"
"Tessy don't listen to him!"
But doubt was already appearing in her eyes.
And that terrified me.
Because Peter saw it too.
And he used it.
"Who showed you this video?" His voice was sharp, demanding.
"Does… does it matter?" she whispered, broken.
And then I snapped. "Your truth is out. Leave her, you disgusting jerk!"
His eyes flickered to me, filled with feigned pain. "Why did you do this, Eira? I know you're jealous. You want me for yourself. But Tessy is your friend. How could you betray her like this?"
My blood boiled. "What nonsense are you spewing?! You're a liar! A filthy liar!"
Tessy's wide, tear-filled eyes darted between us.
Peter softened his voice, as though he were the victim here. "Don't believe her, Tessy. Just tell me what you saw in that video. Did she—did Eira—force you to believe something false?"
"Did she also force you?" Tessy asked in a shaking, broken voice.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, desperate to anchor her.
Peter sighed dramatically. "Yesterday, I went to a party at the club. I was drunk. I didn't do anything. She—" he pointed at me "—forced herself on me."
"NO!! He's lying!" I screamed, my throat raw.
Peter smirked slightly. "Fine. Let me prove it. I'll call her now, right in front of you."
He dialed.
"Hi," he said smoothly.
"Hi, Peter." A girl's voice, shaky. "I'm… I'm sorry. I was jealous of Tessy. I knew you loved her so much. Please forgive me. Please, just give me one more chance."
My world tilted.
What? No… no, this couldn't be.
"Maybe she's not the girl in the video,"
I stammered. "Maybe it's someone else!"
"Can you come on FaceTime?" Peter asked.
A minute later, the video connected. The same girl. The exact same girl from the recording.
She looked straight into the camera. "I'm so sorry, Peter. Please forgive me."
Something inside me cracked. I grabbed the phone. "Why are you lying?! Tell the truth! Please!"
She sneered. "Oh… you're the girl who tried to force yourself on him. And then you ran off with Dave, didn't you?"
"No!! Stop lying! Please!" My voice shattered.
But then she played another video—this time, of me at the party. The angle was twisted, manipulated, making it look like I was the one throwing myself at him.
"No," I whispered. "This is all wrong. It's all—"
SLAP.
The sting burned across my cheek.
Tessy's hand.
Her face twisted with disgust. "I can't believe you. I thought you were my friend. But you… you're the most disgusting, manipulative girl I've ever met. You did all of this just to take Peter away from me."
Her words pierced deeper than the slap.
"Just leave! I don't ever want to see your face again!"
"Tessy, please—"
"I'm sorry for not believing you earlier, Peter," she whispered, collapsing into his arms.
He hugged her back, smirking slightly over her shoulder. "It's okay. I could have done the same if I were in your place."
And just like that, I was erased.
I had no words left.
No strength left.
I walked out of the lab, clutching myself tightly just to stay upright.
My legs moved, but my mind was numb.
How could this happen?
How could everything twist against me?
My eyes burned with unshed tears.
I forced them back, refusing to let them fall.
But then—suddenly—I froze.
He was there.
Adrain.
Leaning against the wall, watching me.
His face was blank, unreadable, but his eyes… his eyes betrayed him.
Behind the mask of coldness, there was something else. Concern. Anger.
A storm he wouldn't admit.
I staggered forward, and before I could collapse, his hand caught me—firm, steady, grounding.
I didn't say a word.
I couldn't.
I had no energy left.
But for the first time… I didn't need to.