The rain had come suddenly that evening, drumming against the academy's tall windows. Students rushed through the corridors with umbrellas and laughter, but Elena lingered in the music hall, her fingers trailing along the piano keys.
She wasn't playing, just pressing notes absentmindedly, trying to quiet the noise in her mind.
Damian appeared in the doorway. His presence was almost silent, yet she felt it instantly—the weight of his gaze pressing down her spine.
"You didn't answer my messages," he said softly.
Elena looked up, startled. "I was… busy."
Damian stepped inside, closing the door behind him. The hall seemed smaller suddenly, the storm outside echoing in the silence between them.
"I was worried." He approached slowly, his smile gentle. Too gentle. "I wanted to make sure you were safe."
Something in his tone unsettled her. Adrian's words whispered in her memory: He wraps lies in silk. You'll only see the chains when it's too late.
---
He sat beside her on the piano bench, their shoulders barely touching. "Do you remember when we used to sneak in here?" he asked, his voice warm with nostalgia.
Elena nodded faintly. "You played, and I… listened."
"And you fell asleep once, right here." He laughed softly. "Your head on my shoulder. I didn't move for hours."
The memory brought a small smile to her lips—but it felt like a trap, a hook reeling her back into the past.
"Things were simpler then," Damian said, turning to face her fully. "Before he showed up."
Her chest tightened. "Damian…"
"I'm not saying this to fight." His hand reached for hers, fingers brushing lightly. "I just… I don't want to lose you to him. You're mine, Elena. You always were."
The warmth of his words froze her.
Mine.
She pulled her hand back instinctively, her pulse racing.
---
Damian's smile flickered, a crack running through the perfect mask. His eyes darkened, sharper than she had ever seen.
"Elena," he said quietly, "don't pull away from me."
Her throat went dry. "You're scaring me."
Instantly, his face softened again, almost too quickly. He reached for her cheek, his touch trembling. "No, no. I didn't mean to. Forgive me. I just… I can't stand the thought of him near you."
Tears welled in her eyes. The boy she once knew—the one who had protected her from bullies, who had carried her books when her hands were full—was still there. But he was buried beneath something else, something possessive and consuming.
She whispered, "Damian, you've changed."
He flinched as though struck.
"No," he insisted, his voice breaking. "I'm the same. It's him who twisted everything. If he hadn't come—if he hadn't poisoned your heart—you'd still see me the way you used to."
His desperation filled the room like smoke.
---
A sudden sound shattered the suffocating tension—the doors creaking open, heavy footsteps echoing.
Adrian.
He leaned casually against the frame, his presence magnetic, dangerous. His eyes flicked from Elena's tearful face to Damian's trembling hands, and the air seemed to crackle with electricity.
"Interesting scene," Adrian drawled. "The knight begging while the princess cries. Should I applaud?"
Damian shot to his feet, rage flashing. "You don't belong here."
Adrian smirked. "Neither do you."
Elena rose quickly, placing herself between them. "Stop it. Both of you."
Her voice trembled, but it carried enough force to still them momentarily.
Damian's chest heaved, his fists clenched. Adrian's gaze softened only when it landed on her, though the shadows in his eyes remained.
---
Damian's voice broke the silence, raw and edged. "He'll destroy you, Elena. Can't you see that?"
Adrian's laughter was low, dangerous. "Better the devil you know, than the wolf who pretends to be a saint."
Elena felt her world splitting in two. Both men were pulling her in opposite directions—one with familiar chains, the other with dark fire.
And she didn't know how much longer she could balance between them.
---
That night, long after they both left, Elena sat alone in her room, the storm still raging outside.
Damian's words echoed: You're mine.
Adrian's warning lingered: He wraps lies in silk.
For the first time, she saw Damian clearly—not as the boy she had admired, not as the senior she had once trusted, but as someone whose love could consume her whole.
And she realized with a shiver… Adrian wasn't her only danger.