Chapter 18
Sophia had no idea danger was coming. She leisurely listened to music. When she saw Jaxon burst through her door, her face lit up: “Jaxon? What are you doing here? Did you bring me another present?“]]
“Explain this.” Jaxon threw the printed surveillance photos in front of her, his voice cold as ice.[]
Sophia’s smile froze.
She glanced down at the photos, her face instantly going white: “This… this is fake! Someone’s trying to frame me…
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“The staff saw it with their own eyes.” Jaxon grabbed her chin and forced her to look up, “You think I’m FUCKING STUPID?!“]]
Sophia’s tears immediately started flowing: “I was just so in love with you… I was scared of losing you…“]
She stumbled forward and grabbed Jaxon’s sleeve, “That bookworm had no right to steal you from me! She–“[]
“SHUT UP!” Jaxon violently shoved her away, his chest heaving with rage, “Do you have any idea she had a 102–degree fever? Do you know she was cuffed up all night?”
Sophia collapsed on the floor, looking nothing like her usual polished self–disheveled and wild like a madwoman.]]
She’d never seen such terrifying fury in Jaxon’s eyes, like he might strangle her at any second.[]
“Jaxon…” she trembled as she reached for his hand, “I was wrong, I’ll never-“]
“We’re done.” Jaxon stepped back, his voice filled with unprecedented disgust, “Don’t ever show your face around me again.“]
Then the door slammed shut with a deafening BANG, and Sophia collapsed on the floor, screaming and crying, but he never looked back.
At the Italian place off Harvard’s campus, the pasta sauce was bubbling away in the pan.]]
Ethan served some perfectly cooked calamari onto Riley’s plate, casually bringing up: “Riley, there’s something I want to tell you.”
“Mm?” Riley looked up, and saw Ethan’s ears turning slightly red.]
“I like you.” Ethan looked directly into her eyes, “Not as a classmate or friend kind of like.”
Her fork clattered onto the table.]
Riley’s lashes fluttered, her heart racing out of control.[]
Over these months, Ethan’s gentle care had slowly melted her defenses, but…]
“I’m really happy you said that, and I have feelings for you too,” she said softly, “but I need a little more time… to forget the hurt from before.”
Ethan nodded seriously, patiently listening to her words.[]
“Jaxon and I…” Riley took a deep breath and told him the whole ugly story for the first time-
‘d used her for practice, how he’d constantly ditch her for nce.”
Sophia, how he’d told his friends he was only
with her to “get
nd, her voice was choking: “I
was such an idiot, thinking he
actually cared about me…“]
rs
hines splashed onto her hands.[]
top of
her head,
his voice tender but firm:
t second, she was pulled into a warm embrace. Ethan’s chin rested gently on asn’t your fault.“]
imple words made Riley completely break down.[]
at nearby tables started looking over, but Ethan only pulled her closer, whispering: “It’s okay to cry. I’ve got you.”
ched Ethan’s shirt and cried like
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child.
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