CHAPTER 7: No Way Out
420 Words
Ariana’s POV
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I should have gone straight home.
The underground parking lot was dim, quiet, and cold. Perfect for a moment alone—or so I thought.
Until I saw her.
Vanessa.
Leaning against my car, calm, poised, like she owned the place.
“You really don’t listen, do you?” she said.
“What do you want?”
“I gave you a warning,” she replied lightly.
“I remember.”
“And yet here you are… still close to him.”
My chest tightened. “This isn’t about you.”
“Everything about him is about me,” she said, her smile sharp.
Something cold settled in my stomach.
“You don’t get to decide that,” I said.
She stepped closer, slow and deliberate. “You think standing up makes you strong? It just makes you visible.”
“What are you talking about?”
Her phone lit up. She showed me pictures—me, from earlier today, outside the library.
“You’ve been following me?”
“No,” she said softly. “Just watching.”
My heart raced. “This isn’t normal.”
“Necessary,” she corrected. “For control.”
“Control?” I whispered.
Her gaze was ice. “Yes. Or you get hurt.”
Before I could react—
“Ariana.”
Ethan.
He appeared between us in a heartbeat, all tension and focus.
“Step away from her,” he said coldly.
Vanessa smiled faintly. “You’re late.”
“I said step away,” Ethan repeated, unwavering.
She tilted her head. “You really think you can protect her?”
“Yes,” he said.
Her eyes narrowed. “Then you should have done a better job.”
Without another word, she walked away, her heels echoing until silence swallowed the space.
I exhaled shakily. “She had pictures of me.”
“I know,” Ethan said, jaw tight.
“You knew?”
“She’s been watching for a while. I was trying to keep you out of it.”
“Well, that worked great,” I muttered.
Ethan stepped closer. “Stay near me. Don’t go anywhere alone.”
“That sounds controlling,” I whispered.
“It’s protection,” he corrected.
His eyes softened slightly, but the tension didn’t leave. “Not when it comes to you.”
I realized, as I met his gaze, that nothing would ever be the same.
Vanessa had changed the rules.
And now there was no way out.
- Writer
