Ethan didn't let Lily out of his sight for the rest of the morning. He drove her to school himself, walked her to her first class despite the curious stares that followed them down the hallway, and lingered by the door longer than necessary before finally forcing himself to leave for his own class two doors down.
"This is going to make things worse," Lily murmured, watching Vivian's group whisper and point from across the hallway. "People are already talking about us. If you start acting like my bodyguard, it's only going to give them more to gossip about."
"I don't care what they think anymore," Ethan said, voice low and firm. "I care about keeping you alive."
The words settled heavily in her chest, a stark reminder that whatever fear she'd felt about rumors and reputation now paled be
