HE SAID I WAS JUST A BET

Chapter 99: Fractured Walls

Maria returned to her room, shutting the door a little too firmly. Her roommates glanced at her but didn’t ask questions. She collapsed onto her bed, covering her face with both hands.

Why did it feel like every word Daniel spoke lingered long after he was gone? Why did she keep replaying the way his voice cracked when he asked, Why do you keep running from me? She had promised herself that she wouldn’t let him get close again. Yet her heart betrayed her at every turn.

She turned to the wall, pressing her cheek against the cool surface, as if it could silence the storm inside her head. But silence never came. Instead, Daniel’s sincerity echoed louder. His eyes. His tone. The way he looked like he wasn’t pretending anymore.

Across campus, Daniel sat alone on the bleachers by the empty field. The twilight had faded into night, the moon casting silver light on his figure. He had never cared this much before. Girls usually came and went, drawn by his charm, and he had let them. But Maria… Maria made him want to fight.

Emeka found him there, tossing a stone in his hand. “You look like a ghost,” he teased, though his grin softened when Daniel didn’t laugh. “Don’t tell me our campus superstar is losing sleep over one girl.”

Daniel smirked faintly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “She’s not just one girl, Emeka. She’s…” He stopped, exhaling sharply. “She’s the only one who makes me feel like I’m not faking.”

Emeka tilted his head, studying him. “Different, or dangerous to your heart?”

Daniel gave no answer. Instead, he stared at the dark field, determination hardening in his chest. I’ll make her believe me. Even if it takes everything.

Back in her room, Maria curled beneath her blanket, trying to shut the world out. But her thoughts betrayed her, circling back to Daniel’s voice and the strange safety she felt when he was near.

And the truth pressed heavy inside her: Daniel was breaking through every wall she built, piece by piece. And the worst part? She didn’t know if she wanted him to stop.