(POV: Amelia Hayes)
The classroom felt different that morning, though nothing had changed. The same rows of chairs. The same blackboard. The same sharp sound of chalk striking the surface.
And yet, everything was different.
Because I was different.
I sat in the third row as always, but I kept my head low, my eyes glued to the notebook before me. My pen scribbled aimlessly, not words, not notes, just loops and lines that meant nothing.
For weeks, I had lingered after class, hoping for a glance, a word, some sign that the night we shared had meant something to him. For weeks, I had let myself hope.
But yesterday had crushed that hope.
I could still see her—the elegant woman with the flawless smile, her hand curled possessively around his arm. His fiancée. His choice.
So now I made my own choice. Silence.
If he could pretend nothing had happened, then so could I.
Still, my chest ached with every breath, and my hand drifted unconsciously to my stomach beneath the desk.
I'm not alone. Not really.
But that secret only made my silence heavier.
(POV: Alexander Carter)
I knew something was wrong the moment I walked into the classroom.
Amelia Hayes didn't look at me.
For weeks, she had challenged me, her eyes fierce, her presence impossible to ignore. She had burned like a flame in every lecture, unafraid, unstoppable.
But today, her fire was gone.
She sat hunched over her notebook, her face pale, her pen moving in distracted circles. She didn't meet my gaze once. Not when I called for questions. Not when I scanned the room.
She was slipping away from me.
And it was my fault.
I gripped the chalk harder, writing faster, my voice sharper than necessary. If I made the lecture cold enough, distant enough, maybe I could hide the storm raging inside me.
But when I risked one more glance at her, and saw how fragile she looked—too pale, too thin, her shoulders trembling slightly—I nearly faltered mid-sentence.
The class noticed nothing. But I noticed everything.
(POV: Amelia – After Class)
When the lecture ended, I didn't linger.
For the first time in weeks, I shoved my books into my bag and slipped out before anyone else. My chest ached, but I didn't look back.
"Amelia!" Clara caught up with me halfway down the hall, her footsteps quick and worried.
I forced a smile. "You don't have to run after me."
"Yes, I do," she snapped. "What is going on with you? You look like a ghost. You don't talk, you don't eat, you don't even argue in class anymore. This isn't you."
I looked away, swallowing hard. "Maybe this is who I need to be."
Her brows knitted. "You're not—" She stopped, her eyes widening. "You're not thinking of leaving, are you?"
The lump in my throat nearly choked me. I forced a weak laugh. "Not yet."
"Not yet?" Her voice rose, sharp and pained. "Amelia—"
"I can't tell him," I blurted, my voice breaking.
Clara froze. "Tell him what?"
The silence between us was deafening. Finally, I whispered, "That I'm pregnant."
Her hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh my God…"
I shook my head quickly, blinking back tears. "I was going to. I was ready. But then I saw him. With her. His fiancée. He's already made his choice."
Clara grabbed my hands, her grip fierce. "You can't keep this secret forever. He has a right to know."
My tears spilled over. "And if he rejects me? If he rejects her?" My hand pressed against my stomach. "I couldn't survive that, Clara. I couldn't survive him turning his back on us."
Her expression softened with sorrow. "Amelia…"
But there was nothing else to say.
(POV: Alexander – Evening)
The halls were empty, the storm outside beating against the windows. I buried myself in grading, but my mind wouldn't stay still.
I couldn't stop thinking of her—her silence, her bowed head, the way she rushed out as though she couldn't bear to be near me anymore.
Wasn't this what I wanted? Distance?
Then why did it feel like I was suffocating?
The door creaked open. Her perfume reached me before her voice did.
"You're working late again," my fiancée said smoothly, stepping inside. "You'll make yourself sick."
I forced a polite nod. "There's work to be done."
She came closer, setting her hand on my desk, her smile poised and perfect. "My parents are hosting dinner this weekend. They expect you to come."
I nodded again, though my chest tightened.
Because all I could think of was Amelia walking out of my classroom, her shoulders trembling as though carrying the weight of the world.
(POV: Amelia – Dorm Room, That Night)
The dorm was quiet, Clara asleep across the room. I lay curled on my bed, staring into the dark.
My hand rested on my stomach, where my secret grew heavier by the day.
Tears slid silently down my cheeks. I whispered into the emptiness, "I'll protect you. Even if it means leaving. Even if it means he never
Fadknows."
The words carved themselves into my heart like stone.
Because Alexander Carter already belonged to someone else.
And soon, I would fade away completely.