WRECKED BY YOU

Chapter 16: Shadows and Strategy

The envelope burned in Zara’s hand like a live coal as they walked in silence toward the west wing of Saint Matthew’s Academy. Jace had barely spoken since reading the forged letter. The words, though fake, had struck nerves too raw to ignore — lies sewn with grains of truth, just enough to be believable.

Zara finally broke the silence, her voice quiet but determined. “She’s playing a dangerous game.”

Jace nodded, still tense. “And she’s good at it. Too good.”

They slipped into the empty art room, their unofficial hideout in times like this. The windows overlooked the courtyard, now empty except for the ghost of Vanessa’s cruel smirk lingering in the air. Zara dropped the letter on the table between them and sat down, arms crossed, trying to push back the anger boiling beneath her skin.

“I don’t get it,” she muttered. “Why now? Why go to this extent just to tear us apart?”

“Control,” Jace said, voice low. “It’s always about control with her. She sees people as things — toys she can manipulate, discard, or destroy.”

Zara’s gaze darkened. “We can’t just sit back. She’s not going to stop. Not unless we make her.”

Jace leaned forward, the shadows cast by the setting sun making his face look harder, more determined. “Then we need to expose her. Beat her at her own game.”

“How?” Zara asked. “She’s got eyes everywhere. People believe her lies because they’re afraid of her.”

“Then we give them a reason not to be,” Jace said. “We show them the truth.”

Zara raised a brow. “With what evidence? That letter? She’ll just claim you wrote it and are trying to blame her.”

Jace hesitated, then reached into his backpack and pulled out his old phone. “I kept this as backup,” he said. “And it still has the messages she sent me last year — threats, blackmail, things she thought I deleted. I didn’t.”

Zara took the phone from him, scrolling through the old messages. Her heart pounded as she read Vanessa’s words:

“Do what I say, or I’ll ruin her.

One post, Jace. One post, and her reputation’s ashes.”

“She’s nothing without you. Remind her.”

“She really is a monster,” Zara whispered.

“But now we have something solid,” Jace said, eyes meeting hers. “We use this. Not to go public right away — that’s what she’ll expect. But we build a case. Quietly. Smartly.”

Zara nodded slowly. “And who do we trust?”

They both thought in silence. Trust was a rare currency in Saint Matthew’s Academy, and it had been devalued by years of fear and secrets. But after a moment, Zara spoke again.

“Alex. He’s in the media club. He hates Vanessa just as much as we do. He’s been looking for a way to bring her down for ages.”

Jace’s expression shifted. “Alex… he’s clever. And cautious. He might be the key.”

Zara stood, fire returning to her chest. “Then we start tonight.”

But just as they began gathering the evidence, Zara’s phone lit up again. Another message. Another hit.

This time, it wasn’t from Vanessa. It was from an unknown number.

You think you’re safe? You’re not. You’re in deeper than you realize. Leave Jace. Or watch your world burn.

Zara’s fingers trembled around the phone as she showed it to Jace. His jaw tightened.

“She’s not working alone anymore,” he said.

Zara’s stomach twisted. “Who else would—?”

Jace’s eyes went cold. “Her brother. Caleb.”

The name dropped like a hammer in the room.

“Saint Matthew’s very own golden boy?” Zara asked, disbelief in her voice.

Jace nodded. “He’s worse than Vanessa. And if he’s involved… this just got a lot more dangerous.”

Zara took a breath, the fear sharpening her senses instead of paralyzing her.

“Then we hit harder,” she said. “We don’t back down.”

They stood there, united, hearts pounding. It wasn’t just a relationship they were fighting for anymore. It was truth. Safety. Power. The right to choose love over fear.

And this time, they weren’t just surviving Vanessa’s game — they were rewriting the rules.