Chapter Fifteen – A Dangerous Secret
The guilt clung to her like a second skin. Every time William smiled at her, every time he brushed a kiss against her forehead, Eliana's heart ached. He was gentle, devoted, the kind of man any girl would dream of.
And yet, at night, her dreams were painted with Stephen's eyes. His touch. His kiss.
She lived in two worlds now.
By day, she was William's doting girlfriend—studying with him in the library, sipping coffee as he recited lines of poetry, letting him walk her home in the soft glow of the streetlights.
By night—or in stolen moments—she belonged to Stephen. The thrill of his voice against her ear, the way he made her laugh when she should have been serious, the raw fire of his kisses that left her breathless and weak.
It was a secret she carried like a knife pressed to her throat.
---
One evening, as she sat at the café across from William, pretending to focus on her notebook, Maddie slipped into the seat beside her.
"El," Maddie said sweetly, eyes glimmering with something unreadable, "you look tired. Everything okay?"
Eliana forced a smile. "I'm fine. Just…a lot of studying."
Maddie's gaze flicked briefly to William, who was at the counter ordering their drinks. She leaned in, her voice low. "You know, people can tell when you're distracted. You should be careful."
Eliana froze. For a moment, it felt as if Maddie could see straight into her heart, right into the storm she was trying to hide.
"What do you mean?" she whispered.
Maddie smirked, leaning back. "Nothing, really. Just that William deserves someone who's fully present. Don't you think?"
Her words lingered long after she walked away, seeping into Eliana's mind like poison. Did Maddie know? Or was it just a warning?
---
That night, Eliana met Stephen by the abandoned fountain near the edge of campus. The moonlight bathed everything in silver, and his shadow stretched long across the stone.
"You came," he murmured, stepping closer.
"I shouldn't have," she whispered, hugging herself. "This is wrong."
He reached out, pulling her hands gently into his. "Maybe it's wrong to them. But it feels right to me. Tell me you don't feel it too, Eliana. Look me in the eyes and say it."
She couldn't. Her silence betrayed her again.
Stephen brushed his lips against her knuckles, and she melted. "You're the only one I think about," he whispered. "When I wake up, when I go to bed, it's you. Always you."
Her chest tightened. It was a dream, the kind of love that swept her away and terrified her at the same time.
But William's face flashed in her mind—his soft smile, his patience, his kindness.
She was caught between two worlds, drowning in both.
---
The next week, the cracks began to show. William noticed.
He noticed the way she looked past him sometimes, her gaze drifting toward the door as if she were waiting for someone else. He noticed the way her laughter felt distracted, her hugs a little too brief.
One night, as they sat together in the park, he reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His voice was gentle, but his words pierced her.
"Eliana…you're here with me, but it feels like part of you isn't. Am I losing you?"
Her throat closed. For a moment, she wanted to tell him everything—to confess, to beg for forgiveness.
But then she remembered Stephen's kiss. The fire. The danger.
And she couldn't.
Instead, she forced a smile and shook her head. "No, William. You'll never lose me."
He kissed her hand softly, believing her, and that nearly broke her.
Because even as his lips touched her skin, her heart was burning for someone else.
---
And Maddie?
Maddie watched it all unfold from the sidelines, her smile sharp as glass. Every stolen glance, every slip of Eliana's mask, every time William's eyes filled with doubt—Maddie noticed.
She wasn't going to stop it.
She was going to use it.