The first light of dawn found Ella sitting at her desk, staring blankly at her textbook, though none of the words made sense. Nathaniel's camera, the smirk on his face, and his final words last night, "Keep this between us… for now" had transformed their secret from something thrilling to something terrifying.
Every knock at the dorm door made her jump. Every shadow in the hallway felt like a potential spy.
And yet, despite the fear, she couldn't stop thinking about Liam. About the heat of his hand in hers, the way he'd shielded her from Nathaniel's threat, the way his voice had been steady when everything around them was chaos.
During breakfast, Olivia tried to distract her.
"You need to breathe," Olivia said, tossing a piece of toast onto her plate. "Nathaniel's creepy, yes, but you can't let him control your life."
Ella nodded, though her mind was elsewhere. She felt the weight of every glance in the dining hall, every subtle observation, and she couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Nathaniel's eyes were on her even now.
Her gaze flicked to Liam, seated at the far end of the table, calm and composed, his posture perfect, yet his eyes searching for her across the room. For a moment, she wondered how he could appear so unaffected when she was on the verge of panic.
Classes passed in a blur, each tick of the clock amplifying the tension between fear and desire. By afternoon, Ella found herself in the library again, trying to bury herself in notes. But her thoughts refused to obey. She kept replaying the scene at the fountain, the brush of Liam's fingers, the shiver that had shot through her at his nearness, and Nathaniel's looming threat.
"You look like you've seen a ghost," a voice said, low and teasing.
Ella jumped, spinning to see Liam standing at the end of the aisle, a small, knowing smirk tugging at his lips.
"I wish it were that simple," she muttered, trying to calm the racing of her heart.
Liam walked closer, lowering his voice. "We need to talk about him."
Ella's stomach twisted. "Nathaniel?"
"Yes," Liam replied. "He's dangerous. And clever. He's not just trying to scare us. He's probing for weakness… to use against us."
Ella swallowed hard. "What do we do?"
Liam's dark eyes met hers, steady and commanding. "We protect what we have. No one else can touch it. No one."
Their hands brushed as they reached for the same book. The brief touch sent a jolt through Ella, a mixture of fear and forbidden desire. Her pulse raced, and she quickly withdrew her hand, cheeks burning.
Later that day, Ashford Academy was buzzing with rumors. Whispers followed Ella through the hallways about Liam, about her, about shadows of impropriety that no one dared say aloud.
She knew some of it was Nathaniel's doing. The way he lingered near her classes, the way he'd observed them at the fountain, it was all calculated.
By evening, Ella decided she couldn't wait any longer. She had to confront the danger head-on, though the thought terrified her.
She found Liam in their usual meeting spot near the fountain. The night air was cold, crisp, and the shadows seemed longer than usual.
"Did he follow you today?" she asked immediately.
Liam's jaw tightened. "Yes. He's trying to unsettle us, make us doubt ourselves. But we won't let him. Not me. Not ever."
Ella felt a flicker of hope, though it was tangled with fear. "But what if he exposes us? Or worse, what if he manipulates someone else to turn against us?"
"We'll be careful," Liam promised, his thumb brushing hers in a rare, grounding gesture. "We'll plan. We'll protect what's ours. But we can't run forever."
Her chest tightened at his words. "I don't know if I can do this," she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. "The risk… it's terrifying."
Liam stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I know. But neither can I. I can't stop thinking about you, about us. And I won't. Not even if it destroys everything around us."
Ella's breath caught. "You mean that?"
"I've never been more certain of anything," Liam said.
Their conversation was interrupted by the rustle of leaves, the familiar sound that made her pulse race. Nathaniel appeared from the shadows, leaning casually against the fountain's edge.
"You two really should be more careful," he said, voice smooth but threatening. "Ashford loves secrets, but everyone pays a price eventually."
Liam stepped in front of Ella, protective, his dark eyes narrowing. "What do you want, Drake?"
Nathaniel's smirk widened. "Just… keeping score. And making sure that whatever happens, I'm the one holding the cards."
Ella felt her stomach drop. The forbidden intimacy, the stolen moments, the tension between them it was all under threat. And now, the danger wasn't just external, it was a game of manipulation, and they were on the board, exposed.