✦ EIRA'S POV ✦
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
The giant screen illuminated the dark hall, casting pale light across hundreds of stunned faces.
Nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Every eye remained fixed on the footage.
And on Peter.
The confident smile that had been plastered across his face moments ago was gone.
Completely gone.
His face had turned ghostly white.
Beside him, Tessy stood frozen.
The happiness that had filled her eyes earlier had vanished, replaced by disbelief and horror.
On the screen, Claira stumbled backward, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Please..." she sobbed. "Please let me go."
Peter's laughter echoed through the speakers.
Cruel.
Mocking.
Terrifying.
"You came here to expose me?" he sneered.
His hand shot forward, grabbing Claira by the hair.
Several gasps erupted throughout the hall.
Tessy's hand flew to her mouth.
"No..." she whispered.
On the screen, Peter dragged Claira across the room like she was nothing.
His face twisted with rage.
"You think anyone will believe I am the father of your child?"
His voice thundered through the hall.
"I can destroy your reputation in seconds."
Claira cried harder.
The entire room watched in horror.
And then—
Peter pulled out a knife.
The collective gasp that followed was deafening.
Tessy staggered backward.
Her legs nearly gave out beneath her.
"No..." she whispered again.
"No..."
The screen showed Peter raising the blade.
Claira screamed.
And suddenly—
Another figure appeared.
Adrain.
The moment he stepped into the frame, the room exploded into shocked murmurs.
Peter spun around.
His face contorted with fury.
"You!"
The video continued.
Adrain stood between Claira and the knife.
His expression was terrifyingly calm.
"Not so soon, my dear friend."
The hall fell silent again.
Peter lunged forward.
But Adrain's fist crashed into his jaw.
The impact sent him flying across the room.
Several students flinched.
The sound alone was brutal.
Blood sprayed from Peter's mouth.
The footage continued.
Peter struggled to stand.
"You're helping her?" he spat.
"No one will believe this."
Adrain grabbed his collar.
Lifted him off the ground.
And forced him toward the hidden camera.
"Wake up, Peter."
His voice was cold.
Deadly.
"Now smile for the camera."
The recording ended.
Darkness swallowed the screen.
For several long seconds—
Nobody spoke.
The entire hall seemed unable to breathe.
Then chaos erupted.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Is that real?"
"Oh my God..."
"I knew something was wrong!"
Peter stumbled backward.
His eyes darted around the room.
Searching desperately for an escape.
For someone.
Anyone.
To defend him.
But nobody moved.
Nobody stood beside him.
Not anymore.
Tessy stared at him as tears rolled silently down her cheeks.
The engagement ring trembled in her hand.
Peter took a step toward her.
"Tessy, listen to me—"
"Don't."
Her voice cracked.
Peter froze.
"Tessy—"
"Don't touch me."
The words were barely above a whisper.
Yet somehow they echoed louder than every scream in the room.
His face drained of color.
"Tessy, I can explain."
She laughed.
A broken laugh.
A shattered laugh.
The kind that came only when a heart finally broke beyond repair.
"Explain?"
Fresh tears streamed down her face.
"You called my best friend a prostitute."
Peter opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
"You threatened a pregnant woman."
Another step backward.
"You tried to kill your own child."
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Tessy slowly removed her engagement ring.
Peter's eyes widened.
"Tessy..."
She looked at him one final time.
And for the first time—
There was no love left in her eyes.
Only disappointment.
Only pain.
Only disgust.
The ring slipped from her fingers.
And landed at Peter's feet.
A tiny sound.
Yet somehow it felt louder than thunder.
"We're done."
Peter stood frozen.
Completely destroyed.
And for the first time that night—
I looked at Adrain.
Really looked at him.
He stood quietly near the screen.
His face unreadable.
His shoulders tense.
As if he didn't care what anyone thought.
As if he hadn't just destroyed one of the most powerful men in the room.
Our eyes met.
For a brief second.
And something inside my chest tightened.
Because suddenly—
I realized something.
The monster I had accused.
The monster I had slapped.
The monster I thought had betrayed us...
Had been protecting us all along.