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CHAPTER EIGHT – Ruin Me Softly
They say betrayal feels like a knife.
But to Emily, it felt slower —
like poison sinking in,
sweet at first…
until it numbs everything.
---
The message had changed everything.
She couldn't eat. Couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw her little brother's smile — innocent, unaware — now marked as leverage in a game he never joined.
Emily wasn't scared.
She was furious.
Luke stayed by her side, silent as she paced the room, fists clenched and mind racing.
"I have enemies," she said. "But not many who know about Elijah."
Luke nodded. "That narrows it."
"Or means I've trusted the wrong people."
He looked at her then, sharp. "You think it's me?"
"I think everyone's a suspect until proven otherwise."
The sting in her voice made him flinch. But he didn't argue.
---
Later that night, she met someone in the shadows behind the theatre hall.
Brielle.
"You threatened my family," Emily said.
Brielle blinked slowly, amused. "Please. If I wanted to ruin you, I'd wear heels and do it in the quad."
"Stay out of my way."
"Oh, honey." Brielle leaned in. "I am your way."
Emily didn't respond. She turned and walked off, but Brielle's voice followed her:
"They'll never let you win. You know that, right?"
Emily didn't look back. "I don't want to win."
"I want them to lose."
---
Luke was already waiting in her room, pacing like a caged lion.
"She didn't do it," he said. "I know Brielle. She's cruel, but not careless."
Emily sat down. "Then it's someone else. Someone close."
They reviewed everything — timelines, photos, files.
Then Luke paused. "You said your brother's school wasn't even in your records."
"Right."
He opened her laptop. "Then how would someone know where he was?"
Emily blinked.
Unless…
She typed into the server log, checking access points.
And found it.
Her file. Her records.
Accessed at 1:37 a.m.
From Crestwood Library IP #0481.
Someone used her student login.
Except…
she was asleep at 1:37 a.m.
---
There was only one person who had her login that night.
Caleb.
---
Emily didn't wait.
She stormed to the Honor Committee office and slammed the door open.
Caleb looked up from his desk — too calm. Too guilty.
"I trusted you," she hissed.
He stood. "Emily—"
"You accessed my records. You sent that message."
"No— I didn't send anything— I just— I was trying to help—"
"Help? By threatening my brother?!"
He backed up a step. "I didn't threaten him. I swear. I… I told the board your file had family connections. I didn't think they'd go that far."
"You handed them the bullet," she said. "They just pulled the trigger."
Caleb swallowed, but there was no more hiding.
"I was trying to keep Luke out of this," he admitted. "They were going to expel him. Strip his legacy. His dad was furious. I thought if I gave them a way to silence you—"
"You thought I'd go quietly," she finished.
He nodded.
"You don't know me at all," she said.
And walked out.
---
Emily sat on the chapel steps that night, alone.
Until Luke found her.
"He did it," she said.
"I know."
She looked at him, eyes full of something deeper than rage.
A sadness so sharp it felt like bleeding.
"I don't think I can do this anymore."
Luke sat beside her.
"You're not alone."
"I don't care," she said. "None of this feels worth it."
"Then let me remind you."
He kissed her then — not out of lust or anger, but something more fragile.
It was slow. Honest.
Like he was afraid she might break.
Or worse — vanish.
She didn't stop him.
Because for the first time in days,
Emily didn't feel like the storm.
She felt human.
And it was enough.
For one night.
---
The next morning, she woke to screaming.
Students gathered outside the main hall. Phones in hand. Gasps filling the air.
Emily pushed through the crowd and saw it:
The Wolf File.
Leaked. Public. Viral.
But not from her site.
From someone else.
And whoever did it…
added a name.
Hers.
"Leaked by: Emily Hale"
---
The war had gone public.
And Emily Hale?
Was now the face of it.
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