The hallway was quieter than usual, echoing with the faint hum of distant voices. Ava quickened her steps, keeping her head down, every nerve in her body aware of how wrong it felt to be sneaking around in plain sight.
Just a few more turns and she'd be outside.
"Going somewhere?"
The voice was smooth, low, and impossible to mistake. Ava froze mid-step. Dante leaned casually against the lockers, his arms crossed, eyes fixed on her like a predator amused by its prey.
A nervous laugh caught in her throat, but she steadied herself. "Class ran late. I'm just heading back."
Dante arched a brow, his smirk sharp. "Funny. I saw your little group making plans. Yet here you are, alone. Doesn't really add up, does it?"
Ava's pulse thudded in her ears, but she forced herself to meet his gaze. "Mia already knows. I had something else I needed to do. Not everything is a conspiracy, Dante."
For a long moment, silence stretched between them. His eyes searched her face, as though peeling back her words layer by layer. Then, almost reluctantly, he chuckled.
"You've got answers ready for everything, don't you?" he said, stepping aside. "Fine. Don't let me keep you."
Relief washed over her, but she kept her pace steady as she walked past, not daring to glance back until she was outside.
The autumn air hit her like a breath of freedom. At the far end of the lot, a sleek black SUV idled in the shadows. The tinted window rolled down just enough for her to glimpse the driver's sharp suit, the dark sunglasses. Beside him sat a bodyguard, broad-shouldered and watchful.
And leaning against the SUV, arms folded, was one of her uncle's most trusted men. His presence alone made her chest tighten — proof that this wasn't a coincidence.
Ava swallowed, squared her shoulders, and walked toward them. The school behind her felt like another world, one she was slipping further and further from with each step.
When the back door opened, she hesitated only a second before climbing in.
The door shut, and with it, the last trace of normalcy.