Chapter Three :Hearts Under Fire (Part Three)
1002 Words
Saturday morning broke with bright sunshine over Evergreen University.
The campus looked peaceful.
Birds chirped from the trees.
Students laughed as they crossed the courtyards.
To everyone else, it was just another beautiful day.
To Liana...
It felt strangely unsettling.
She couldn't explain why.
As she stood in front of the mirror in her apartment, she remembered the conversation she had overheard the previous day.
The anonymous threats.
The investigation.
The mysterious people watching them.
Sophia noticed her expression.
"You're worried."
Liana forced a smile.
"It's nothing."
Sophia crossed her arms.
"Liana Hart."
"I've known you for three years."
"When you say 'it's nothing,' it usually means it's something serious."
Liana sighed.
"I just have a bad feeling."
Sophia walked over and hugged her.
"Then don't go anywhere alone today."
"I'll be fine."
"Promise me."
"I promise."
---
At exactly ten o'clock, Liana left her apartment carrying a black backpack.
Inside were the photographs, the notebook, the recovered files Ethan had printed, and copies of the laboratory access records.
She intended to hand everything to the university's disciplinary committee before the weekend ended.
As she walked toward the Administration Block, she didn't notice a silver sedan slowly pulling out from a nearby side street.
Inside, the same mysterious man adjusted his sunglasses.
"Target is moving."
A voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Don't fail."
---
Meanwhile, Kane was in the engineering workshop helping a group of first-year students assemble a small-scale oil filtration model.
One of the students smiled.
"Senior Kane, thank you for helping us."
"It's no problem."
Another student laughed.
"You always have time for everyone."
Kane smiled.
"If someone helped me when I was in your shoes, the least I can do is pass it on."
Just then...
His phone rang.
It was Sophia.
Her voice trembled.
"Kane!"
"What happened?"
"It's Liana!"
"What about her?"
"I think someone is following her!"
Kane's smile vanished.
"Where is she?"
"She just left the hostel road heading toward the Administration Block!"
Without another word, Kane dropped the tools in his hands and ran.
---
Liana quickened her pace.
Something felt wrong.
She glanced behind her.
The silver sedan was still there.
Moving slowly.
Too slowly.
Her heart began to race.
She crossed the road.
The car crossed too.
She turned into another street.
So did the car.
Her fears were confirmed.
"They're following me."
She pulled out her phone.
Before she could dial anyone, the car suddenly accelerated.
Its engine roared.
Students screamed and jumped out of the way.
Liana froze for a split second.
The speeding vehicle was heading straight toward her.
At that exact moment—
"Liana!"
She recognized the voice.
Kane.
He sprinted across the road with every ounce of strength he had.
Without thinking, he threw himself toward her.
They both crashed onto the grassy roadside as the car sped past, missing them by only a few inches.
The backpack flew from Liana's shoulders.
Papers scattered into the air like white birds.
The silver sedan didn't stop.
It disappeared around the corner within seconds.
Everything became silent.
Kane slowly opened his eyes.
"Liana..."
She looked at him.
"I'm okay."
"What about you?"
He smiled weakly.
"I've had better landings."
She burst into nervous laughter.
Then, unable to hold back her emotions any longer, tears filled her eyes.
She hugged him tightly.
"I was so scared."
Kane gently wrapped his arms around her.
"It's okay."
"I've got you."
For a long moment, neither of them moved.
Students gathered around them.
Someone called campus security.
Others helped collect the scattered papers.
Among them was Mama Grace.
She carefully picked up the brown envelope and handed it back to Liana.
"My daughter..."
"Thank God you're alive."
Liana nodded, still shaken.
"Thank you."
---
Campus security officers arrived within minutes.
They questioned witnesses and collected statements.
One student stepped forward.
"I saw the number plate."
Everyone turned toward him.
"You did?"
He nodded.
"I wrote it down."
The security officer smiled.
"Excellent."
"This will help us identify the vehicle."
Hidden behind the crowd, a young man wearing a black hoodie quietly slipped away.
He pulled out his phone.
"They have the plate number."
The voice on the other end remained calm.
"Then abandon the vehicle."
"What about the driver?"
There was a pause.
"He's no longer useful."
The call ended.
The young man looked back at the scene one last time before disappearing into the crowd.
---
An hour later, Kane and Liana sat outside the university clinic after being treated for minor cuts and bruises.
Neither spoke for several minutes.
Finally, Kane turned to her.
"Liana."
"Hmm?"
"I almost lost you today."
She looked into his eyes.
"But you didn't."
He smiled faintly.
"No."
"I didn't."
He reached for her hand.
This time...
She didn't pull away.
"I don't know when it happened," Kane said softly.
"But somewhere between your stubbornness..."
"...your courage..."
"...and the way you kept fighting for me..."
"I fell in love with you."
Liana's eyes filled with tears again.
Not tears of fear.
Tears of happiness.
She smiled through them.
"I was beginning to wonder how long it would take you."
Kane laughed.
"So..."
"Is that your way of saying yes?"
She squeezed his hand gently.
"I've loved you for much longer than you know."
For the first time since they met, their hearts spoke the same language.
As the evening sun bathed the campus in golden light, Kane leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead.
"I promise you something."
"What is it?"
"No matter what happens..."
"I'll protect you."
Liana smiled.
"And I'll stand beside you."
Neither of them knew that someone, watching from a distance through the tinted windows of another vehicle, had just witnessed everything.
The man slowly lowered his camera.
"So..."
"They're in love now."
He picked up his phone.
"They've become stronger together."
A cold voice answered.
"Then it's time to separate them."
The line went dead.
The battle was far from over.
In fact...
It had only just begun.
To be continued...
- Writer
