The academy buzzed with weekend chatter, students clustered in groups as the campus café spilled with laughter and the smell of roasted beans. Elena sat with her best friend, Mira, trying to pretend everything was normal.
"So," Mira said between sips of iced coffee, "what's going on with you and Adrian?"
Elena nearly choked. "W-what?"
Mira's grin widened. "Don't 'what' me. You've been different lately. Glowing one second, stormy the next. Classic signs of a guy messing with your head."
Elena forced a laugh, but her mind spun. If only Mira knew. If only anyone knew.
Before she could answer, a familiar voice cut through the café noise.
"Elena."
Damian stood by their table, his smile as flawless as ever. Several girls nearby whispered, clearly swooning at his presence. He was still the golden boy of the academy, admired, envied.
But Elena knew better now. She saw the tension in his jaw, the tightness around his eyes.
"Can we talk?" he asked. His tone was polite, but beneath it was steel.
Mira raised an eyebrow. "Should I give you two some space?"
Elena hesitated, then shook her head. "No. I'm busy."
Damian's smile froze for a fraction too long before he smoothly recovered. "Of course. Another time, then."
He walked away, but not before Elena noticed his hand tighten into a fist at his side.
---
Later that afternoon, whispers began to swirl.
"Did you see Damian in class today?" one girl murmured to another as they passed Elena in the hallway. "He snapped at the professor."
"No way. Damian? He's always so perfect."
"I'm telling you. His temper's showing lately. It was… scary."
Elena's chest tightened. The cracks were no longer visible to her alone—others were beginning to notice.
---
That evening, Adrian appeared in her dorm courtyard, leaning against the railing as if he had been waiting for her.
"You're quiet," he remarked, his eyes glinting with mischief and something deeper. "Thinking about your knight in tarnished armor?"
Elena frowned. "He's not my knight."
"Good," Adrian said smoothly, stepping closer. "Because knights are overrated. Always pretending to be pure, when inside they're just men with greed and pride."
His hand brushed hers lightly, sending a shiver up her arm. "At least I don't pretend."
Elena hated how her heart betrayed her—how it beat faster under his touch, how her body leaned toward him even when her mind screamed to keep distance.
"Adrian…" she whispered, unsure if it was warning or plea.
He bent closer, his breath warm against her ear. "You can run from me, Elena. But every step you take will only bring you back into my arms. Because you already know—this darkness feels safer than his false light."
Her knees nearly buckled at the truth in his words.
---
The next day, Damian cornered her after class. This time, there were people around.
"Elena," he said firmly, catching her wrist. "Why are you avoiding me?"
Her classmates turned their heads, whispering. Elena flushed. "Damian, let go."
His smile remained on his lips, but his grip didn't soften. "We need to talk."
Adrian's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "She said let go."
The hallway went still. Adrian stood at the far end, his presence commanding, his eyes locked on Damian. Students froze, caught between awe and fear.
For a split second, Damian's mask slipped—anger flashing raw and unfiltered in his gaze. But with dozens of eyes on him, he forced a chuckle and released her hand.
"Of course," he said lightly, as though nothing had happened. "I didn't mean to startle you."
He left quickly, his composure intact but fragile.
The whispers followed immediately.
"Did you see that?"
"He grabbed her wrist."
"That's not like Damian…"
Elena's heart pounded. The image of the perfect senior was crumbling, piece by piece, and everyone was beginning to see it.
---
That night, Mira cornered Elena in their room.
"Elena," she said seriously, "I don't know what's going on between you, Damian, and… that other guy. But I saw what happened today. Damian isn't who I thought he was."
Elena swallowed hard. "He isn't who any of us thought he was."
Mira frowned. "Then why do you still look like you're torn in two?"
Elena couldn't answer. Because the truth was, despite everything—Damian's cracks, Adrian's danger—her heart was still caught in the storm.
---
Outside her window, in the shadows beneath the streetlight, Adrian stood watching.
He had seen enough to know.
Damian's fall had already begun.
And soon, Elena would belong to him completely.