Chapter 17: The Fall of an Angel
Amy Rivers used to be loved.
That was the cruelest part.
She had once been the girl—sweet, gentle, the one teachers praised and students defended. The girl who "saved" Noah Blackwood. The girl everyone thought could do no wrong.
But lies rot.
And hers had finally reached the surface.
It started quietly.
The student council released a formal investigation report regarding the assembly sabotage incident.
Then came the witness statements.
Then the CCTV footage.
The school screens lit up during lunch hour.
Amy stood frozen as her own face appeared on screen—tampering with wires, sneaking backstage, whispering lies with a smile still plastered on her face.
The whispers returned.
But this time, they weren't kind.
"She lied?"
"She tried to frame Lily?"
"She stole credit for the accident too?"
Amy's hands shook.
Her world was collapsing in real time.
Noah watched from a distance, expression cold and unreadable.
Lily stood beside him, calm, composed—untouched.
Amy couldn't take it.
She ran.
Straight into the courtyard.
Straight into Noah.
"Noah," she cried, tears streaming, voice breaking, "please—tell them it's a misunderstanding. You know I'm not like this. You know me."
Noah didn't move.
Didn't soften.
Didn't reach out.
"You're right," he said evenly. "I knew who you pretended to be."
Amy shook her head wildly. "I did everything for you! I loved you!"
"That," he replied coldly, "was never love. It was entitlement."
The crowd went silent.
Lily's fingers tightened slightly around Noah's sleeve—not to stop him, but to ground him.
Noah continued, voice steady and devastating.
"You took credit for saving my life. You lied to everyone. You tried to destroy Lily because you couldn't accept reality."
Amy sobbed. "I was scared! I didn't want to lose you!"
"You lost me the moment you chose deception," he said. "This ends now."
He turned away.
Publicly.
Final.
The consequences came fast.
Amy was suspended pending disciplinary action.
Her "perfect" image was dismantled overnight.
Invitations disappeared. Friend groups dissolved.
Even teachers looked at her differently now.
And the worst part?
No one defended her anymore.
Her final attempt came two days later.
Amy cornered Lily near the art building, eyes hollow, voice raw.
"You win," she whispered bitterly. "You took everything from me."
Lily looked at her—not with triumph, not with cruelty—but with something far worse.
Indifference.
"I didn't take anything," Lily said calmly. "I just stopped letting you take from me."
Amy laughed weakly. "You think you're better than me now? Just because you're engaged? Just because you're an heir?"
Lily stepped closer, voice soft but unyielding.
"No. I think I'm better because I chose honesty. And because I don't need to hurt people to feel important."
Amy broke.
Tears fell freely now, no performance left.
When Lily walked away, Amy didn't follow.
She couldn't.
By the end of the week, Amy Rivers transferred out of the school.
No farewell post.
No goodbye party.
No redemption arc.
Just silence.
And memory.
On the rooftop that evening, Lily leaned against Noah, the city glowing below.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
He nodded. "I don't feel relieved. Just… finished."
She smiled softly. "That's closure."
He looked at her, eyes warm. "You were never the villain."
She laughed gently. "Tell that to the comic."
He pulled her closer, forehead resting against hers.
"Let them rewrite it. You're the lead now."
And Lily realized something deep and steady—
The past had finally let go.
So had the story.
And what remained… was them.
Together.
Engaged.
Unstoppable.