The words glowed on her phone screen, their weight heavier than steel.
"Decide fast. Because if you go without me, Lila… I'll come find you. And you won't like how I do it. – E"
Her fingers hovered above the screen, trembling.
For a second, she almost blocked his number. Almost.
But something stopped her—something she hated to admit.That same pull, that same fire in her chest whenever his eyes locked with hers. Obsession clashing against her own need for freedom.
She tossed the phone across the bed and pressed her palms into her face.
"No," she whispered to herself. "No more cages. Not from them. Not from him."
Dinner the next night was a storm waiting to happen.
Her dad sat at the head of the table, tie loosened from work, his sharp gaze cutting to her every few seconds. Her brothers filled the seats around her—four walls of muscle and protection. Her mom set down the pot roast like it was any other evening, but the tension was enough to strangle.
Lila didn't wait for small talk.
"I'm going on the school trip."
The clatter of forks against plates echoed like gunshots.
Her dad froze, fork mid-air. Aiden nearly choked on his water. Caleb leaned back in his chair with a low whistle. Tyler muttered something that sounded suspiciously like you've got to be kidding me. Jordan's glare was sharp enough to cut glass.
Her dad's voice was calm—too calm. "We've already discussed this."
"No," she said, keeping her tone steady. "You decided. I didn't."
"You're not going, Lila."
"Yes, I am."
The silence was deafening.
Her brothers shifted in their seats, ready to jump in, but she held up a hand. For once, she wasn't going to let them talk for her.
"You've always protected me. Too much. I get it—you think the world is dangerous. You think he's dangerous." Her chest tightened at the unspoken name. "But I'm not a little girl anymore. I need space. I need to breathe. If you don't let me go, you're proving that you don't trust me."
Her dad's eyes darkened. "This isn't about trust. It's about safety."
"Then let me prove I can keep myself safe!" she shot back. "I'll call every night. I'll check in every day. I'll stay with the group, I won't do anything reckless. But I'm going."
Her mom's hand brushed her dad's arm. Quiet, but firm. "Maybe we should consider—"
"No," he snapped, before softening when he saw her flinch. "Lila, you don't understand what's out there. People—"
"People like Ethan?" she cut in, voice sharp.
The name hung in the air like poison.
Her brothers all stiffened, fists tightening on the table.
Her dad's jaw locked.
"Yes," he said finally. "People exactly like Ethan Cole."
She swallowed hard, pulse pounding. "Then let me prove I can face people like him. I won't be caged, Dad. Not by you. Not by anyone."
For a long, terrifying moment, no one spoke.
Then her dad sighed, heavy and tired, rubbing a hand over his face.
"You're just like your mother," he muttered.
Her mom's lips twitched in a half-smile, proud despite the chaos.
Finally, he looked at her, eyes weary but resigned. "Fine. You go. But one wrong move, one single slip, and I'm putting you on the first flight back. Understood?"
Relief crashed over her, dizzying. "Understood."
Her brothers erupted in protest, voices overlapping—"She's not ready—"
"You're kidding, right?!"
"Dad, this is insane—"
But her dad silenced them with one raised hand. His decision was final.
And for the first time in her life, Lila felt the cage door creak open.
The next day, after last period, she turned in the signed permission slip. Her heart thundered as she slid it across the teacher's desk. It was official. She was going.
Her chest swelled with something fierce—freedom, independence, hope.
But when she stepped into the hallway, her breath caught.
He was there.
Leaning against her locker like he owned it, arms crossed, eyes burning into her. Ethan Cole.
"Did you really think you could hide it from me?"
Her blood ran cold.
She forced her chin up. "I don't have to hide anything."
His smirk was sharp, dangerous. "So it's true. You're leaving me."
"I'm not leaving you. I'm just going on a school trip."
He pushed off the locker, closing the distance in two strides. She backed into the metal, trapped between his body and the cold steel.
His hand braced beside her head, his breath hot against her ear. "Don't play games with me, Lila. You belong here. With me."
Her heart pounded, traitorous and wild. She shoved at his chest, but he didn't budge.
"You don't own me, Ethan."
"Don't I?" His fingers brushed her jaw, tilting her face toward his. His eyes were molten, hungry. "Because every time you say my name, every time you run, every time you fight me—your eyes give you away. You want me. Even if you hate it."
Her breath hitched, heat rushing to her cheeks.
He leaned closer, lips a breath away from hers. "And I swear, Lila… you can go to Paris, Rome, Mars for all I care. I'll be there. Watching. Waiting. Taking what's mine when you're ready to admit it."
The air between them crackled, so hot it hurt to breathe.
For one terrifying, thrilling second, she almost closed the distance.
Almost.
Then she shoved past him, clutching her bag to her chest.
"Stay away from me, Ethan."
But her voice shook.
And they both knew she didn't mean it.
That night, as she packed the first few things into her suitcase, her phone buzzed again.
Don't think distance will save you.You're mine, Lila. Even if the whole damn world tries to keep us apart. – E
Her hands trembled as she set the phone down.
For the first time, she realized the truth.
The trip wasn't freedom. It was a battlefield.
And Ethan Cole was coming for her.