The next morning crept in slowly, but the weight of the night before still clung to Isabel like a second skin. She stood in Adrian's kitchen, barefoot, sipping coffee from one of his oversized mugs. The place was quiet, calm—the kind of stillness that felt fragile, as if the slightest movement could shatter it.
Adrian walked in behind her, his shirt halfway buttoned, a sleepy look in his eyes. "You didn't sleep."
She shook her head. "Too much on my mind."
He reached out, resting a hand on her lower back. It was tender, grounding. "We can figure this out. But we have to be smart."
She looked up at him. "So what now? Are we hiding again?"
He hesitated. "For now, yes. Until I find out who else knows. And until I can shut it down."
Isabel wanted to argue, but she understood. Everything about this was walking a tightrope—one wrong move and they'd both fall.
Meanwhile, Daniel stood in Dean Harper's office, arms crossed, a smug smile tugging at his lips. "I just thought you'd want to know what your staff are doing after hours."
Dean Harper set the photo envelope on the desk with distaste. "We are already handling it."
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Are you? Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you're letting it slide."
The dean met his gaze coldly. "This university doesn't operate on gossip and bitterness. Now, unless you have academic concerns, you're dismissed."
Daniel smirked, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You'll regret brushing this off."
He left the office, but instead of turning down the hall, he ducked into a side corridor and pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, voice low and urgent. "Yeah, it's time. Let's leak it."
---
Isabel returned to campus later that day. Everything looked the same, but something in the air felt off—tense, expectant.
She didn't notice the stares at first, but by the time she reached the literature wing, she could feel it: eyes following her, whispers trailing behind her like smoke.
She entered her class, and the room fell quiet. Jude was already there, sitting at the back. He gave her a questioning look.
She sat beside him and whispered, "What's going on?"
He hesitated, then turned his phone around to show her the screen.
There it was.
A photo of her and Adrian—the kiss, the look between them. Blurry but clear enough. Attached was a caption: "Professor-Student Romance? Scandal Rocks University Hallways."
Her heart dropped. The walls felt like they were closing in.
---
Adrian was in the middle of a faculty meeting when his phone buzzed. One look and his blood ran cold.
The article was everywhere—an anonymous blog had published it, and it had already spread through campus like wildfire.
Dean Harper was staring at him across the table, her jaw tight. "Adrian, my office. Now."
The walk there felt like a death march. Once inside, the door shut behind him with a heavy click.
She didn't waste time. "You lied to me."
"No," he said, voice low. "I said we weren't involved at the time."
"Semantics don't save careers. You've crossed a line. The board will have to be informed. There will be a review. You may be suspended."
Adrian felt a wave of nausea. "What about Isabel?"
"She'll be investigated too."
He shook his head. "No. Leave her out of it. She didn't do anything wrong."
Dean Harper's voice softened just slightly. "Then I suggest you tell her to stay quiet and stay low. This is going to get worse before it gets better."
---
Isabel sat in the empty library hours later, her phone turned off. She couldn't deal with the messages—half were questions, half were hate. Jude sat beside her, furious.
"They don't even know you. This is bullshit."
She leaned her head on the table. "I don't know how to fix it."
"Adrian will fix it," he said. "He has to."
She didn't respond.
A moment later, her phone buzzed—a new message from an unknown number.
"It's only the beginning. You took what was mine. Now I'm taking everything from you."
Her blood ran cold.
Daniel.