Elara stood outside the college gate, eyes flicking to her wristwatch every few seconds. She kept scanning the road for Alex.
 A sleek black luxury car rolled to a stop in front of her. Ronan stepped out, gray-styled hair catching the light, sunglasses shadowing his sharp gaze. The designer clothes, the effortless swagger — he looked every bit the celebrity. Heads turned, whispers followed.

Everyone noticed him.
 Except Elara.

She kept her eyes fixed on the road.

“Waiting for your boyfriend?” Ronan’s voice carried as he walked toward her.
 No answer. Not even a glance.

He leaned in, close enough for his breath to brush her ear.
“Does he know… about us?”

Her head snapped toward him. For a flicker, Ronan saw something he hadn’t seen since that night — fear.
 But fear quickly burned into anger. She raised a finger, her voice low and sharp.
“Don’t you dare.”

Ronan’s lips curved into a slow, satisfied smirk.
“I thought you feared nothing. Finally… I found it.”

He turned and walked away without looking back.

Elara’s chest rose and fell faster. She swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath, but her hands were trembling.

“Are you okay? What happened?” Alex’s voice cut in, his hand warm on her shoulder.

Her heart lurched. If Alex found out about her and Ronan… she’d lose him before she’d even had the chance. She loved him. But she could never tell him.

“I’m fine,” she said quickly, eyes avoiding his.
 Then she walked with him, forcing her steps to match his, though her pulse hadn’t slowed.

“Hi, Alex!”

A light, cheerful voice rang out from behind them. Elara and Alex turned at the same time.

A girl with glossy hair and an easy smile was walking toward them, hand resting on Alex’s shoulder like it belonged there.

“Aria,” Alex said, his face lighting up as they hugged.
 Elara blinked, unsure what she was seeing.

“Dad mentioned you might be in this college,” Aria said quickly, her words spilling out. “I just hadn’t spotted you until now. Which faculty are you in?”

“Architecture,” Alex replied.

“Oh, wow. It’s been forever.” He grinned, then turned to Elara. “This is my friend Elara — we’re in the same faculty.”

Aria’s gaze shifted to her, friendly but assessing. “Oh, hi, Elara. You’re beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Elara murmured.

“Alax, if you have time, let’s walk and talk,” she said with a laugh.

Alax joined her, glancing at Elara as they started walking. She didn’t say anything, so he asked, “I need to go. Will you be okay going by yourself?”

Elara felt a pang of insecurity as she watched them. Aria was everything she was— rich, confident, and effortlessly beautiful, perfectly at home in Alax’s world.

Alax and Aria walked away together, leaving Elara standing there alone, feeling small in their shadow.

Elara was in the library, notebook open, staring out the window at the students scattered across the courtyard. Her pencil traced circles on the paper — over and over — without any real shape forming.

Across the room, Ronan was browsing books with Mark when his gaze landed on her. Alone. Distant.

He handed the stack to Mark. “Take these. I’ll catch you later.”
 Before Mark could respond, Ronan was already walking toward her.

She didn’t notice him until the sound of a bag dropping onto the chair beside her.
“Where’s your boyfriend?” he asked casually.

Elara glanced at him, then back out the window, saying nothing.

“What, you two broke up already?” His voice held a teasing edge, but his eyes searched her face for a reaction.

Still nothing.

“Hey, I’m talking to you.”

Her pencil stilled.

“Or did he find a new girl?” Ronan added, leaning in slightly.

This time, she turned sharply, her eyes cutting into him. “Stop talking nonsense.”

“What’s your problem? Why do you keep bothering me?” she snapped.

“Am I bothering you?” His smirk faltered just a little.

“Yes.” Her voice rose, trembling with something deeper than anger. “Seeing your face makes me angry. Hearing your voice bothers me. I hate your presence. I hate that you’re in my class. I hate that I have to breathe the same air as you.”

The words came out in a rush, harsher than she’d planned — but she didn’t take them back.

For a moment, Ronan just stared at her, expression unreadable. Then he grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.
“Shut up, don’t say another word,” he muttered and walked away.

his footsteps faded between the shelves. Elara pressed a hand to her forehead.
 Her breath felt tight in her chest.

She’d said too much.
 More than she meant to.
 But it was too late — the words were already out there, hanging between them like a door she couldn’t close.

Ronan and Mark headed to the cafeteria, where the rest of their friends were already sprawled around a table. They slid in, the air buzzing with chatter and easy laughter.

Halfway through the conversation, Ronan’s phone lit up — Dad.
 He excused himself, stepping away to an empty corner for some quiet.

As he spoke, his gaze drifted across the room… and froze.
 Alex.
 With Aria.
 The two were leaning close, talking and laughing like no one else existed.

That’s when it clicked.
 So that’s why she was in such a mood.

A slow smirk curved his lips. Without a second thought, he ended his father’s call, raised his phone, and snapped a picture.
 Pocketing it, he turned back toward his friends, the smirk still lingering.

“Hey, Ronan — Lisa called. You’re not replying to her texts or picking up her calls,” James said, leaning over.

Ronan was still staring at the photo he’d just taken. James gave his shoulder a light tap.
 Ronan locked his phone. “I’m busy these days.”

“Call her, dude,” James pressed.

“Hey, Ronan, I heard you were with someone that night,” James added with a sly grin. “Who was she?”

The table went quiet. Every one of Ronan’s friends was watching him now. He took a slow sip of his coffee, eyes flicking from one face to the next.

“I don’t remember her face,” he said flatly.

They burst out laughing.
“You’re a real player, man,” Mark chuckled, shaking his head.

Ronan didn’t give a damn about them; his mind was elsewhere, entirely on Elara. She had spoken to him rudely, yet he couldn’t bring himself to hate her. What bothered him most was that no matter what, he couldn’t get her out of his mind.

“Your boyfriend got a new girl?” Ronan’s voice dripped with mockery as he held his phone up to Elara’s face in the corridor, a smirk playing at his lips.

“Let me go,” she snapped, her tone sharp.

“Am I blocking the whole road?” he drawled lazily.

She stepped to the side to pass, but he moved right in front of her again.
“Wanna make him jealous too? I can help,” he said, catching her hand in that casual, cocky way of his.

She yanked it back instantly. “Don’t you dare touch me.”

His smirk deepened. “Touch? We did more than that,” he teased, his words meant to sting.

“Don’t bring that up,” she shot back, eyes flashing, before walking away.

Ronan watched her until she disappeared into the classroom.

A beat later, he followed. His eyes found her instantly — sitting beside Alex, leaning in, smiling faintly as Alex showed her something on his phone.

Something in Ronan’s chest tightened. He didn’t name the feeling, didn’t even want to. But his gaze hardened. For the first time, he realized he hated seeing her with Alex.

Ronan walked over to Alex and Elara’s table, planting one hand firmly on the surface. The sudden movement drew both their eyes upward.
 He looked at Elara first — just long enough to let her know he was there — then shifted his gaze to Alex.

“Hey, Alex. I need to tell you something,” Ronan said casually.

“Yeah? What is it?” Alex asked, locking his phone and giving his full attention.

“Actually… about the college party — ”

Before he could finish, Elara stood abruptly.
“Alex, I have something important to discuss with him. I’ll be right back.”

Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Ronan’s hand and pulled him out of the room. Her grip was firm, her pace quick, like she was afraid he’d say something she couldn’t undo. She didn’t stop until they were at the quiet landing above the stairs.

She spun on him, pinning him to the wall with one hand braced beside his head, while Ronan smiled, his eyes fixed on the hand she was holding.

“What were you trying to do?” she demanded, her voice low but sharp.

“What? I didn’t do anything. I was just — ”

“Shut up,” she cut him off, her finger tapping his forehead. “Listen to me. I like him a lot. If you try to mess that up, I won’t let it slide.” Her eyes burned with anger.

“Hey, calm down,” Ronan said, carefully patting her shoulder. “You’ve got it wrong, I was just — ”

“Yes, we slept together. So what?” Her voice cracked, and suddenly the anger in her eyes shimmered into something else — pain. “Will you destroy my life with that? Don’t I have the right to be happy? To be loved?”

Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I lost my mind that night. I didn’t realize it was you… I’m not the kind of person who sleeps with just anyone. I regret it more than you know, but I can’t change it.”

While seeing tears in Elara’s eyes, Something in Ronan shifted at the sight of her breaking like this. Ronan wasn’t the type to care about other people’s feelings, but when he saw Elara crying, he couldn’t stop himself. Without thinking, he pulled her into his arms.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You’re so bad… so mean… You bother me so much,” she said, her words muffled against his chest. She didn’t hug him back, but she didn’t pull away either. It was Ronan who held her, his hand gently patting her head as she trembled against him.

“I won’t do that again… I promise, I will never tell him,” he whispered.

someone cried. Somewhere between anger and guilt, he had already fallen for Elara, though he didn’t even realize it yet. But Elara’s heart already belonged to someone else. And now, Ronan had to decide—how far would he go to make her his?