Isabel didn't sleep that night. Her mind kept replaying Adrian's words at the park—"Now we fight. Together." It was the first time she didn't feel like a burden or a secret. She was someone worth choosing.
Morning light broke through her window as she finally dressed and grabbed her bag. Classes had resumed as if nothing happened, but whispers still followed her. Heads turned. Phones lifted subtly. Students spoke in half-mouthed sentences.
She didn't flinch this time.
Inside the lecture hall, Professor Chambers gave her a brief nod. There was no Adrian Cole at the podium. A replacement had been brought in.
Jude met her outside the hall afterward. "You really came back like a warrior," he said with a small smile.
Isabel sighed. "I'm tired of hiding. If the whole world wants to watch me fall, they better be ready to watch me rise."
Jude laughed. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
---
Meanwhile, Adrian sat in a private conference room downtown, across from the board of trustees. Tension thickened the air as he signed the final withdrawal documents. He'd officially stepped down from his professorship and several family-affiliated academic boards.
"This is a mistake," one older board member muttered.
Adrian stood, buttoning his jacket. "No. It's the first honest decision I've made in years."
As he exited the building, paparazzi caught wind of his location. He walked past the cameras without flinching. The headlines would twist his story anyway. But Isabel knew the truth. That was all that mattered.
---
Across campus, Vanessa sat under a tree near the sculpture garden. Jude approached slowly, two cups of iced tea in hand.
"Peace offering," he said, handing one over.
She smiled. "You always know when I need a drink."
He sat beside her. "You okay?"
Vanessa tilted her head. "No. But maybe that's okay too."
They sat in silence, the afternoon sun filtering through the leaves.
"Zara and I talked," she finally said. "We're not together anymore. We both know it."
Jude hesitated. "Are you okay with that?"
She looked at him. "I don't know. But I know I'm curious about what comes next."
He grinned softly. "Curious is a good start."
---
Later that evening, Isabel returned to her dorm to find an envelope slipped under her door. No name. Just her first initial on the front. Inside was a photo.
A grainy, zoomed-in shot of her and Adrian at the park. Clearly taken from a distance.
Her heart dropped.
Then came the knock. Not at her dorm, but her phone's notification screen. A message from a private number:
"You think you've won? You're just getting started."
Isabel's hands trembled. She looked around, suddenly aware of every creak in the walls.
She dialed Adrian instantly.
He picked up on the first ring. "Isabel?"
"He's watching us. Again."