The soft buzzing of Isabel's phone pulled her out of her trance. She'd been staring at her lecture notes for over an hour, but none of it had really sunk in. Her mind kept drifting—to Adrian, to Daniel's cold threats, and to the memory of that kiss outside the lecture hall. Her lips still tingled, as if they held the weight of it.
She picked up her phone. A message from Jude: "Room's all yours tonight. Crashing at Vanessa's."
Isabel blinked. That was... unexpected. She'd only seen Vanessa a few times, but there had been something intense in the way Jude looked at her. Something hesitant, like they were both testing the edges of something forbidden.
Still, that left Isabel with a quiet room and a restless heart.
A knock sounded on the door just as she was considering crawling under the covers. It was soft, rhythmic. A knock she knew by now.
She opened it without hesitation.
Adrian stood there, hair slightly disheveled, eyes tired. He didn't say anything at first—he just looked at her like he'd been holding his breath all day.
"I needed to see you," he said.
She nodded, stepping aside to let him in.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind them, he pulled her into a tight embrace. It was urgent. Desperate.
"He's dangerous," Adrian murmured into her hair. "Daniel. He cornered me today. Said things about you. About us."
She pulled back just enough to see his face. "What did he say?"
Adrian hesitated. "That he'd ruin me. Said he had... proof."
Her heart dropped. "Proof? What kind of proof?"
Adrian sighed, running a hand down his face. "I don't know. But the way he said it... he's not bluffing. He's watching us."
Isabel sank onto the edge of her bed, the weight of it all crashing over her. "Why is he doing this? He broke me, Adrian. And now he's trying to ruin you."
Adrian crouched in front of her, taking her hands. "We can still stop this. But we have to be careful. We can't let him pull us apart."
She nodded slowly, though fear twisted in her gut.
**
The next morning at campus was chaos. Rumors were flying—about a leaked video, whispers of a professor involved with a student. No names were dropped, but the implication was clear. And Isabel felt the stares.
At the library, she spotted Vanessa leaning against a shelf, phone in hand, an unreadable expression on her face. Zara stood beside her, tense, clearly agitated.
Isabel slowed as she approached.
"Everything okay?" she asked, though the answer was written all over their faces.
Zara glanced at Vanessa, then back at Isabel. "Some creep sent pictures to my gallery. Of me and Vanessa. From weeks ago."
Vanessa's eyes flashed. "Someone's following me. Us. And we think it's the same person behind the stuff about you and Adrian."
"Daniel," Isabel said.
Zara nodded. "It lines up. The timing, the threats."
Isabel felt her knees wobble.
**
By afternoon, the Dean's Office had summoned Adrian. Isabel waited outside the building, heart pounding in her chest. She could barely breathe.
He emerged forty minutes later, his face pale. His tie was loose, his steps unsteady.
"What happened?" she rushed toward him.
He shook his head. "They're launching an investigation. An anonymous tip. They haven't named you. Yet. But it's only a matter of time."
She reached for his hand, but he stepped back.
"No," he said softly. "Not here. Not now."
Her stomach dropped. "Are you pushing me away?"
"I'm trying to protect you. This thing... it's bigger than us now. My father's already heard. He's furious."
"Let me fight with you," she said.
He looked at her with something like longing. Then he turned and walked away.
**
That night, Isabel sat in the dark of her dorm room. Jude hadn't come back. Her phone was silent. And her heart? It ached in a way she hadn't expected.
Everything felt like it was unraveling.
**
Across campus, Jude sat on the edge of Vanessa's bed. She was pacing, biting her thumbnail, her mind far away.
"You okay?" he asked gently.
She stopped and looked at him. Really looked at him.
"No," she said. "Everything's a mess. Zara's pulling away. My brother's a disaster. And someone out there wants to tear us all down."
Jude stood, closing the space between them. "We'll figure it out."
Vanessa didn't speak. Instead, she leaned into him, resting her head on his chest.
And in the quiet, something shifted.