CHAPTER NINE: THE RECKONING
733 Words
Blackwood University – Midday
Lena could feel it the second she walked onto campus.
Eyes. Whispers.
Mia met her at the edge of the courtyard, arms crossed, gaze sharp.
“You need to talk to me.”
Lena blinked. “Hi to you too.”
“Cut the s**t, Lena.” Mia stepped closer, voice low. “You’ve been off for weeks. You barely talk to Ryan, and you flinch every time someone says Caleb’s name.”
Lena’s stomach dropped. “I don’t flinch.”
“You do. You’re jumpy. You’re lying. And Savannah told me she saw you sneaking out of the east dorms last week. That’s nowhere near your class buildings. So unless you’re getting tutoring in secret—”
Lena cut her off. “Stop.”
Mia studied her in silence. “Lena… what are you doing?”
Lena’s chest tightened. She wanted to say it. She needed to. But the words caught, locked behind shame and heat and fear. She walked away instead.
Hayes Mansion – Evening
Victoria stood at the top of the stairs, brow furrowed. “Have you seen Caleb today? He didn’t come down for dinner.”
Lena paused. “No. I haven’t.”
It was a lie. Caleb had dragged her into his room less than an hour ago, slammed the door shut, and kissed her like he was starving.
But something was changing. He wasn’t as gentle anymore. Not as patient. Like he was losing grip—like he knew he couldn’t have her forever and wanted to devour what time he had left.
Victoria sighed. “He’s been different lately. So have you.”
Lena didn’t respond. She escaped to her room, locked the door, and pressed her forehead against the wood.
Everything was unraveling.
Ryan’s Apartment – Later That Night
“You don’t look at me the same anymore,” Ryan said quietly, fingers curled loosely around his beer bottle.
Lena stared at him, guilt crawling like fire beneath her skin.
“I don’t know what’s going on with you, Lena,” he continued. “But you’re not here. Not with me.”
“I’m just stressed. Blackwood—”
“Don’t,” he said, gently but firmly. “Don’t lie to me.”
She looked down at her hands. He reached across the couch, took them in his.
“If there’s someone else—just tell me.”
Lena’s breath caught.
There wasn’t someone else. There were two. Both of whom she had no right wanting. Both of whom had her twisted in ways Ryan never could.
She opened her mouth—but her phone buzzed.
Caleb: Come upstairs.
Her heart nearly stopped. Ryan saw her glance at the phone, and something in his expression shifted.
“You don’t love me anymore, do you?”
She couldn’t answer.
Hayes Mansion – Caleb’s Room
She slammed the door behind her.
“I can’t keep doing this,” she snapped.
Caleb was shirtless again, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Then don’t.”
Lena stared at him. “That’s it?”
He shrugged, but there was tension behind his eyes.
“Ryan knows,” she whispered. “He didn’t say it, but he knows.”
Caleb stood. “Let him. You weren’t his to begin with.”
“You’re my stepbrother.”
“And that stopped mattering the second you let me touch you.”
Lena trembled. “What are we doing?”
Caleb stepped closer. “Losing control.”
His hand came up, brushing hair behind her ear. Then he kissed her—slow, bruising. Not hungry this time. Just… broken.
And Lena kissed him back like she didn’t care what it cost.
Later – Downstairs
Richard watched her from the doorway of his study as she crept toward the stairs.
“Lena.”
She froze.
His eyes tracked her. Calm. Knowing.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time upstairs.”
“I was just—”
“Studying?” he cut in smoothly. “With Caleb?”
She nodded, heart pounding.
He stepped forward, stopping just inches away. His fingers brushed her arm lightly, and her breath caught.
“Be careful who you play with,” he murmured. “Caleb’s not the only one who can ruin you.”
Lena stared at him, frozen between fear and something far more dangerous.
Richard’s mouth curved. “Sweet dreams.”
- Writer
