The next few days, Donovan found himself once again perched at the same table, pretending to study while his obsession and his friends went over their notes. His mind wasn’t on the textbook in front of him, though; instead, he was obsessing over his plan to finally uncover the truth about Agatha and Connor. He wasn’t completely sold on the conversation he had with Mark, and deep down, he needed to be absolutely, irrefutably sure.

Step one was simple enough: stalk Agatha instead of Connor. If they were indeed dating, she would probably try to initiate PDA with him, wouldn’t she?

As much as he hated to admit it, Donovan had become a bit of an expert in tracking people’s every move, especially when they were important to him, or Connor, in this case. Normally, it was him he was obsessively watching, but today it was Agatha, and it felt... strange, different. He wasn’t used to spying on girls, but for the sake of his love, he had to push through it.

The hours dragged on. When Donovan wasn’t in class, he was shadowing Agatha, hoping for some sign—anything—that would point to her having a significant other. But so far, his attempts had led to nothing. All he saw were fleeting moments between Agatha and Connor, mostly in class or during their group hangouts.

It seemed like the two interacted only as friends. The logical part of Donovan’s brain screamed that they weren’t a couple. But his gut told him otherwise, and that nagging feeling made him doubt everything.

The thought of asking Connor out—only to be shot down because he was already in a relationship—was unbearable. Rejection alone was one thing, but the thought of embarrassing himself by hitting on someone who was already taken... that was too much to take. Determined not to put himself in that situation, Donovan doubled down, making sure his hunch was wrong.

He couldn’t let himself go through the excruciatingly painful process of asking if Connor was single only to be rejected. Not while he still had this sliver of hope.

Agatha had noticed Donovan tailing her almost immediately. He probably thought he was being subtle, but he wasn’t nearly as sneaky as he believed. And unfortunately for him, she had been trained to pick up on anything suspicious—to detect the smallest changes in behavior, to anticipate threats before they became real. It was second nature, a skill that had kept her alive and her secrets buried.

But right now? Right now, that skill felt more like a curse. Her pulse hammered in her ears as she tried to maintain her composure, acting as if she hadn’t seen him. She forced herself to breathe evenly, to keep her movements natural, but her mind was racing. Why was he following her? Why now?

The gang was always meticulous about keeping their tracks covered, especially after what had happened at the warehouse. But Donovan… He had been there. And now, after days of acting like nothing had happened, he was suddenly shadowing her.

Was it a coincidence? Or something far worse? Did he remember?

Her stomach twisted at the thought. Had he started piecing things together? Had he recognized her voice that night? Did he somehow know that she had been the one speaking in the shadows, calling the shots?

No. He had looked completely normal yesterday—oblivious, even. But paranoia slithered through her like a venomous snake, sinking its fangs deep. What if she was wrong? What if he had been pretending? What if, at this very moment, he was just waiting to confirm his suspicions before blowing her cover wide open?

She clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. She couldn’t let that happen. Agatha forced herself to slow down, to think. If she acted too rashly, she might make things worse. She needed to figure out exactly what he knew—if he knew anything at all. Because if Donovan ever discovered the truth about her…

It wasn’t just dangerous for her—it could be deadly for both of them. Agatha needed a plan. She had to manipulate Donovan into seeing her as nothing more than a sweet, innocent, powerless girl while she figured out why he was following her.

The solution came easily. She took a part-time job at the coffee house just outside campus, a place she already liked. They were hiring, and thanks to her paranoid uncle making her work every summer for “cover story” purposes, her résumé was solid.

Keeping tabs on Donovan while earning extra cash? That sounded like a win-win. And if she happened to use the money to treat herself to something nice? Well, that was just a bonus.

So there she was, moving between tables with practiced ease, balancing trays and taking orders—all while keeping a watchful eye on Donovan. At first glance, he seemed normal enough, chatting with his friends, lost in whatever nonsense usually occupied his mind. Maybe—just maybe—he really did have a ridiculous crush on her and was following her around like some lovesick fool.

But Agatha wasn’t naive. She had already deduced that his interest wasn’t in her—it was in someone else. One of the guys in her group, most likely.

So what was he really after? Was he trying to figure out if she was dating someone? Did he think she held the key to his crush’s heart? That scenario made far more sense than the alternative. Because the alternative was impossible. There was no way he remembered anything from that night.

They had made sure of it.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of a tray as the thought crossed her mind. They had been careful. Koray and Asher had spiked his drinks, wiping away every last trace of what he had seen—what he had heard. He shouldn’t have even the faintest memory of the warehouse or what had happened there.

And yet, something about the way he was watching her made her uneasy.