Liam sat in his room, the curtains drawn tight, shutting out the world. The glow of his shattered soul reflected faintly in the flickering lamplight. In his trembling hands, he clutched the phone Mrs. Harper had provided—the fake video playing on loop.
Aira.
Smiling faintly beside Zane.
Every frame burned itself into his mind like poison, searing through veins that once carried nothing but hope and devotion for her.
His chest rose and fell unevenly, breaths turning ragged. He took her away from me… His mind hissed with venom. He made her forget me. Made her laugh without me. No, no, no. She's mine. She was always mine.
The whispers curled like smoke through his thoughts. Mrs. Harper's voice, smooth as silk and sharp as a blade, slithered in again.
"Fight for her, Liam. She still loves you. She's just confused… brainwashed by him. Do you want to lose her forever?"
His jaw tightened until it ached. Sweat dampened his hairline. His hands shook around the phone, nails digging into his skin as if to stop himself from falling apart.
"Brainwashed…" he whispered hoarsely, his voice more shadow than sound. "He tricked her. He made her forget me."
His pulse hammered violently in his ears.
Breathing heavily, Liam made his decision.
Not with reason. Not with love. But with the kind of desperation that consumed men whole and spat them back out hollow.
If Zane was out of the way…If he was gone…Maybe Aira would see clearly again.
Maybe she would come back.
His heart twisted painfully at the thought, but he no longer cared about right or wrong, no longer cared about the boy he used to be.
He just needed her.
Even if he had to break someone to get her.
The next afternoon, the sun stretched lazily across the campus, its golden light painting everything in warmth. Students lounged beneath trees, voices rising and falling in laughter, but on the grassy hill behind the library, the world felt distant—quieter.
Aira and Zane sat side by side, their books discarded carelessly in the grass. The air carried the scent of fresh earth and spring blossoms.
For once, silence wasn't heavy. It wasn't suffocating. It was… comfortable.
Aira sat with her knees pulled close to her chest, the breeze brushing strands of hair across her face. Her eyes were far away, somewhere in the clouds, as if she were listening to a song only she could hear.
Zane watched her quietly, his usual sharpness softened by something unspoken. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he slipped a hand into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small silver chain.
A star-shaped pendant dangled at the end—tiny, delicate, fragile.
Without saying a word, he reached out and gently placed it in her palm.
Aira blinked, startled. She looked down, the pendant glittering faintly against her skin like a piece of the night sky.
Her lips parted in surprise. "Zane…"
His voice was low, steady, carrying more weight than he intended. "You deserve to have something that shines… because you forgot how brightly you used to shine."
The words lodged in her chest, breaking through walls she had spent years building.
Her breath caught. For a heartbeat, her eyes shimmered with unshed tears, reflecting the pendant's light. But she blinked quickly, forcing them back. Instead, a trembling, almost fragile smile ghosted across her lips.
Her fingers closed tightly around the star, pressing it against her chest as though it might disappear if she let go.
Maybe… not everyone will leave. Maybe… this time, someone will stay.
Without a word, she lifted the chain and slipped it around her neck. The star settled just above her heart—a silent promise, small but unshakable.
Zane leaned back against the grass, feigning nonchalance, though his sharp eyes caught everything. He didn't call out her tears. He didn't push.
But he noticed how her fingers kept brushing against the pendant, again and again.
And he noticed how she didn't try to hide it.
After classes ended, the campus grew quieter. Aira and Zane walked together down the cobblestone path, their steps slow and unhurried. The golden light of the setting sun bathed the path in a glow that felt almost unreal.
For once, Aira felt her chest lighten.
But then—
A shadow cut across their path, sudden and sharp.
Liam.
His appearance was jarring—hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, eyes red-rimmed and bloodshot. Desperation radiated off him like a storm ready to break.
Aira's steps faltered.
Zane didn't hesitate. In a single, instinctive motion, he shifted in front of her, his body a shield, his stance sharp and protective. His presence was like a wall, unyielding.
Liam's chest heaved as he raised a shaking finger at Zane, his voice cracking, raw with fury and grief. "You… you brainwashed her. You stole her from me!"
Zane didn't reply. His eyes narrowed, sharp as blades, never leaving Liam's.
The silence between them was taut, dangerous.
But before Zane could speak, Aira stepped forward, just slightly—her presence calm but icy.
Her eyes were flat, her voice steady, devoid of warmth. "I was never yours to steal, Liam."
The words sliced through the air like knives.
Liam froze, staggered back as though she had struck him across the face. His breath hitched, his eyes wide with disbelief. Those words… they destroyed him more than any physical blow ever could.
"You… you don't mean that," he whispered hoarsely, shaking his head, as though denial alone could change reality.
But Aira's gaze didn't waver. For the first time, she looked at him not with love, not with anger, but with something far worse—pity.
"You're not the boy I once loved," she said softly, but firmly. "You're just… a stranger."
The dam inside Liam cracked. Rage and heartbreak surged together until he snapped.
With a raw, broken roar, he lunged forward, fist swinging wildly toward Zane's face.
But Zane didn't flinch.
He didn't panic.
He moved with the deadly precision of someone who knew exactly what he was doing.
In a single motion, he caught Liam's wrist mid-air, his grip like iron. He twisted sharply, pain shooting through Liam's arm.
Zane leaned in close, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper that cut colder than steel. "Don't you ever raise your hand in front of her again."
Liam's face contorted, half with pain, half with humiliation. His knees buckled, but Zane didn't strike. He didn't need to. His control was enough.
Behind him, Aira stood tall, unshaken.
Her gaze was steady, colder than the evening air.
Liam searched her face, desperate for any sign of softness, of forgiveness. But all he found was distance.
Security guards, alerted by the commotion, rushed forward. They seized Liam roughly, pulling him away as he struggled and thrashed.
"I loved you!" Liam screamed, his voice cracking with anguish. "I still love you! Please, don't do this! Don't walk away!"
But Aira didn't flinch. She didn't turn.
She simply looked at him one last time—her eyes hard, her expression unreadable—before turning her back completely.
Her hand slipped quietly into Zane's. His grip was steady, grounding. Without a word, he led her away down the path, his presence anchoring her to the earth while Liam's screams echoed into the night.
Dragged to the ground, Liam collapsed onto his knees. His sobs tore through the air, ugly and broken, a sound that belonged to someone utterly undone.
No one came to him.No one offered him a hand.No one looked his way.
He was alone.
Completely, devastatingly alone.
And from the shadows beneath the old oak trees, Mrs. Harper watched it all unfold.
Her lips curled into a cruel smile, her eyes glinting with satisfaction.
And so the game begins.
Her laughter was silent, but it echoed in the darkness.
Because she wasn't finished.
Not yet.
Not until everything around Aira burned.