Chapter Fourteen: Deciding…
Theo had already made peace with walking away.
He had told himself he was done… done with this mess, the sleepless nights, the pressure from watching Danielle destroy herself inch by inch while pretending she was fine.
He had thrown the bag over his shoulder, walked out the gates, and told himself that this time, he wouldn't look back.
But then he saw Jackson…
The name alone scraped against a memory that had been sealed deep in Theo's mind..the file, the report, the details he never should have read.
The boy who had posted Danielle's photos some time ago. The reason she stopped eating properly. The reason her wrists bore those thin white lines she thought no one noticed…and the reason-Danielle wanted to jump over that bridge.
Theo's hand tightened around the strap of his duffel.
That kind of man, the kind who hurt women to feel powerful — was the kind he hated the most. It reminded him of his brother, Ethan.
Ethan, who used to smile while breaking hearts. Ethan, who used to laugh at people's pain like it was a game.
Ethan, who was now dead serious when he killed Bae, because Theo had stopped him too late.
A muscle jumped in Theo's jaw as the old rage was immediately awakened.
Maybe it was coincidence, maybe not - but seeing Jackson get close to Danielle, hearing his low mocking tone that was enough to make Theo forget every reason he had for leaving.
He dropped his bag.
Jackson turned when he felt the hand clamp on his shoulder.
Theo's hold was solid, calm, and had that quiet warning of a man who could end a life but chose not to yet.
"May I answer on her behalf?" Theo's tone was polite even, but the danger in it cut through the air like a wire.
Jackson stopped from moving, still half-turned toward Danielle. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, shaking off Theo's hand. "You her new bodyguard or her new dog?"
Theo smiled slightly, the kind that never reached his eyes. "Neither," Theo replied, taking a slow step forward. "But I am the one who decides what happens to you next."
"Oh really?" Jackson gave a mocking laugh and took a step closer himself. "And what are you going to do? Scare me? You think standing here with your fancy coat makes you someone important?"
Theo didn't answer. He simply closed the distance between them…
One second, Jackson was smirking, and the next, Theo's hand was on the front of his shirt, pushing him back hard enough to make his breath catch.
Danielle flinched, her lips parted, but Theo's voice stopped her before she could speak.
"You want to know who I am?" Theo's tone dropped low enough that only Jackson could hear. "I'm the man who knows what you did to her. I'm the man who read your file, Jackson. The comments. The photos. The threats. You think that kind of thing disappears?"
Jackson's face lost a fraction of its color. "You don't know anything."
Theo tilted his head slightly. "Don't I? Because I know you're the reason she started therapy the moment you started dating. I know you're the reason her father almost ruined three families trying to protect her name. And now you stand here like you own her pain."
He got closer. "You remind me of my brother. Same arrogance…Same rot inside."
Jackson sneered, trying to shove him off, but Theo didn't move an inch. "You think you scare me? You're just another guy hiding behind a uniform. I've dealt with worse."
Theo smiled. "No, you haven't."
There was something calm about the way he said it — calm in the same way a storm becomes silent before it breaks everything in its path.
Theo's eyes that were usually as silent as the water in a glass, had this destroying lava with the kind of focus that made even Jackson hesitate.
Danielle stepped forward, but she was shaky. "Theo, stop. He's not worth it."
Theo didn't look at her, keeping his eyes on Jackson. "You ever talk to her again… even look at her, and I'll make sure you disappear before you realise you've made a mistake."
Jackson swallowed. "You threatening me?"
Theo's facial expression didn't change. "No."
Then, after a pause: "I'm promising you."
For a heartbeat, there was a long and pretty awkward silence.
The crowd around the gate had disappeared; the campus guards pretended not to notice, pretending the tension wasn't suffocating enough to choke on.
Jackson straightened his shirt, trying to regain whatever pride he could salvage. "You can't touch me," he hissed. "You have no authority here."
Theo leaned close again, close enough that Jackson could feel his breath. "I don't need authority to deal with trash," he replied simply.
Then he stepped back, looking as calm as ever, eyes briefly glancing toward Danielle. She looked pale, still shaky, and Theo couldn't understand whether she was relieved or afraid.
Theo didn't wait for her to speak. He turned, picked up his duffel, and started walking back toward the dorms instead of the road.
Danielle blinked, moved her head to the side, and raised her brow, confused. "Wait…Theo, where are you-"
"Back to my room," he said without looking at her. "Apparently, I'm not done here after all."
Jackson glared at his retreating back. "This isn't over," he muttered under his breath.
Theo stopped just long enough to throw one final glance over his shoulder. "You're right," he said. "It isn't."
Then he walked away.
Danielle's heart was pounding too fast. But what scared her more than the fight was the look in Theo's eyes…
It was so fierce and controlled, like a man fighting every instinct to destroy.
She looked at Jackson, still standing there with his jaw tight, and suddenly understood something else.
Theo hadn't stayed for duty or guilt.
He had stayed because the moment he saw Jackson, he remembered what kind of man could break someone like her.
And Theo had never been the type to let that happen twice.