Adrian couldn't stop replaying it.
Her eyes.The way she'd looked at him — not afraid, not broken, just… steady.
He'd actually tried to apologize.What the hell was wrong with him?
He slammed the gym locker shut, the sound echoing off the empty walls. His reflection in the small mirror above the sink looked furious — jaw tight, eyes shadowed, hair damp with sweat.
He hated this.He hated her.
No — he hated what she was doing to him.
Ever since she walked into his house, everything had shifted. The walls he'd built around himself didn't hold the way they used to. She made him feel things he couldn't even name — guilt, frustration… longing.
It was pathetic.
He threw a punch at the punching bag in front of him, the chain rattling from the force. Another hit. Then another.
Each strike landed with the same thought.Her voice. Her defiance. Her smile.
By the time he stopped, his knuckles burned, and his chest heaved. But it didn't help. The anger didn't fade — it just changed.
Turned sharper.Hungrier.
"Adrian?"
He turned. One of his friends, Marcus, stood at the door, holding his phone. "You might wanna see this."
Adrian took it. The screen showed a photo — Liora and Ethan walking out of the college gate together. Smiling.
Something inside him twisted hard.
"Looks like they're getting close," Marcus said with a grin. "Guess she's over you, huh?"
Adrian's voice came out low and lethal. "Watch what you say."
Marcus raised his hands quickly. "Relax, man. Just kidding."
But Adrian wasn't joking. He shoved the phone back at him and walked past without another word.
Outside, the night air was cool, but it didn't cool the heat rushing through him. His thoughts were a mess.
He'd told himself it was just control — that he only cared because she challenged him, because she made him look weak.But that wasn't true anymore, was it?
He could still feel it — that moment when she'd stood inches from him, her voice calm and steady. The scent of her perfume. The way her hair brushed her shoulder when she turned.
He'd wanted to touch her.To make her look at him the way she looked at Ethan.
And that terrified him.
Because wanting her meant losing control — and losing control was something Adrian Knight didn't do. Ever.
He stopped near the parking lot, leaning against his car, trying to breathe. His phone buzzed again — another message from Marcus.
"Party tomorrow night. You coming?""Everyone's invited. Even the new girl ;)"
His grip on the phone tightened.
Maybe that was it — the solution.He didn't need to apologize. He didn't need to feel. He just needed to remind her who she was dealing with.
A small, cold smile curved his lips.
If Liora wanted to play this little game, he'd raise the stakes.
Let her think she'd beaten him.Let her show up to that party smiling beside Ethan.
He'd make sure by the end of the night, she remembered exactly who was in control.
Adrian got into his car, started the engine, and drove off — the sound of tires cutting through the silence.
But even then, even as he planned his next move, he couldn't silence the image of her eyes.
Defiant. Bright. Beautiful.
And for the first time in his life, Adrian Knight wasn't sure if he wanted to break her…or protect her