The photo in Isabel's hands trembled as the message repeated in her mind like a curse. You think you've won? You're just getting started. Her breath came in quick, shallow bursts. The safety she had started to rebuild was cracking again.
Adrian was at her door fifteen minutes later. He didn't knock—he came in like a storm, eyes scanning her room until he found her.
"Show me," he said.
She handed him the photo and phone. His jaw tightened.
"It's him," she said quietly.
"I know."
Adrian paced the room, then stopped. "You need to move in with me. At least for now. I don't trust that he's not watching this place."
Isabel blinked. "Won't that just make things worse?"
"Isabel, there is no 'worse' than you getting hurt again."
She didn't argue. She packed a bag.
---
Vanessa stood outside Jude's dorm, biting her lip. She hadn't planned to come here, not after the conversation with Zara, but her heart wouldn't stop pulling her in strange directions.
Jude opened the door, surprised.
"Hey," she said.
He smiled. "Hey."
"I don't really know what I'm doing," she blurted. "But I know I don't want to avoid it anymore."
His eyes softened. "Me either."
She stepped inside, and for a while, they just talked—no labels, no pressure. Just two people exploring a quiet spark.
---
Back at Adrian's penthouse, Isabel dropped her bag near the couch and turned in slow circles, taking it all in. The walls were warm shades of gray and cream, and the scent of coffee and cedar filled the space.
"It's beautiful," she murmured.
Adrian stood behind her, hands deep in his pockets. "It's been empty without you."
She turned to face him. "Then maybe we stop pretending this isn't real."
He stepped closer, his thumb brushing her jaw. "I've never pretended with you."
And just like that, she kissed him. This time it was slow—aching, meaningful, and full of everything they hadn't said. The weight of what they'd lost, what they still feared, and what they were willing to fight for melted between their lips.
Clothes fell in silence. Skin touched skin. Their love was no longer hidden in shadows but bared in candlelight and whispers. It wasn't rushed—it was surrender. Every moment felt earned. Every gasp, every grip of his hands in her hair, every curve pressed to his chest—it was all real.
Later, tangled in the sheets, Isabel stared at the ceiling.
"Are we safe here?"
Adrian looked over. "We'll be safer together than apart."
"But he's not going to stop."
"No," Adrian said. "Which means I need to stop him first."
---
At the edge of campus, Daniel sat in his car, engine off, eyes fixed on a glowing apartment window.
He smiled darkly.
"You thought you could erase me, Isabel," he muttered. "But you've just made me stronger."
He picked up a USB stick from the dash and twirled it between his fingers. "Let's see what the university thinks of Professor Cole's dirty little secret."