His broken voice echoed behind me, raw and splintered. "Aria stop!"
But the more he called, the faster I ran. My chest burned, my heart rattling against my ribs like a trapped bird. I couldn't stop. I was terrified of what I would do if I did if I turned and saw his face, heard him beg. If I stopped, I would crumble, and I couldn't afford to break anymore.
By the time my legs gave out, I was in front of my dorm. I blinked, disoriented, as the familiar building rose before me. Reality crashed in a second time this wasn't safety. This wasn't home. I was alone.
My sobs came uncontrollably now, wracking my chest. People walked past, glancing at me with curiosity, pity, suspicion. I didn't care. My life had no meaning anymore. My brother was gone. Zayden had lied. And now, I was standing in the ashes of everything.
"Aria?"
The voice sent a chill down my spine before I even turned. I knew why when I did. Zayden's uncle. The man he had warned me about more than once. Every nerve in my body screamed danger, but my feet stayed rooted to the pavement as if nailed there.
He approached calmly, a small smile playing at his lips, and offered me a handkerchief. My hands shook as I took it without thinking.
"Life isn't always fair," he began, his tone soft but full of weight. "Those with power always win. And some things are never meant to be tampered with."
I wanted to say so much rage, questions, accusations but my throat was tight. Where would I even start?
"Zayden created a problem. We helped him clean it up. Now he's being ungrateful… careless." His voice was steady, almost like he was preaching, like he expected me to nod along and accept it as truth.
He tilted his head slightly, eyes glinting. "His first mistake wasn't lighting his family up it was looking for you. At first, we thought it was guilt. Then, maybe, young-adult lust. But he made his second mistake by letting you in on the truth."
He stepped closer and, with a practiced gesture, draped his arm around my shoulders. I stiffened, but he guided me toward a sleek black car waiting at the curb. Every instinct told me to run, to fight, but another part of me the part that was exhausted, hollow didn't even try.
The door opened, and I was ushered inside. The car moved almost soundlessly, the city lights blurring past the window. I stared at my hands, surprised at how steady they looked. Whatever was coming, I told myself, it would be for the better. Maybe this was the end of everything, and maybe that was what I wanted.
But when the car stopped and I was led inside a dimly lit room, the last thing I expected was to see Zayden.
He was tied to a chair, head slumped forward, blood trickling from his nose. His wrists were bound tight. My heart lurched painfully in my chest.
I rushed to him, dropping to my knees. "Zayden...."
"Love has put this one in trouble so many times," a new voice said behind me.
I turned sharply. Two other men had entered the room, both wearing expressions as cold and casual as their suits.
"First his little brother," one of them drawled. "And now you."
I glanced back at Zayden. He was still unconscious, his breathing shallow but steady.
"Don't worry," the man added. "He isn't dead. Not yet."
My heart skipped a beat, my fingers tightening around the edge of the chair.
"Why am I here?" I forced myself to ask. Slowly, I let go of Zayden's arm.
"You've known too much."
"So you'll kill me like you did my brother?" I said flatly.
The uncle chuckled, the sound low and patronizing, like I had just told a joke. "Oh, we've got something better. You leave for good." He paused, letting the words sink in. "Or you watch as we set things straight and you go to jail for it."
My stomach turned. "Jail?"
"The sister of the one who murdered his family, had murdered him. A tragedy…" He said it almost like a headline, as though my brother's death was just another PR problem.
"What do you stand to gain from this?" I asked. My voice came out calm, too calm, even to my own ears.
"Honestly, at this point, we just need a clean heir. Someone who can run the company unquestioned."
I pressed my lips together. "We're just kids," I whispered.
The uncle's smile deepened. "Zayden is nothing but. He killed his whole family. There's nothing innocent about him. And do you think he wanted to tell you? He wouldn't have, if he wasn't looking for an escape."
Deep inside me, I didn't believe him. But I also wanted not to care anymore.
"I'll leave," I said finally, shrugging as though it were nothing.
"Good." He reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me. I opened it with numb fingers flight tickets. Two flights. Far away from here. Departing in just a few hours.
"I'm not...."
"I wasn't asking, Miss Lin." His smile turned cruel. "You agreed to leave, and it stays at that."
He waved a dismissive hand. "You should leave for the airport. You don't want to miss your flight."
I didn't get to protest before someone grabbed me and began dragging me out of the room. I didn't get to say goodbye to Zayden.
As the door slammed behind me, one thought cut through my daze: the Croix really were terrifying people.
And for the first time, I felt sorry for Zayden.