Chapter 9
I looked straight at him, my gaze sharp as a blade.
“So, her so-called sickness makes every baseless accusation she throws at me the truth. And my explanations, my resistance as your girlfriend-just sophistry?”
My voice dropped, clear and deliberate. “Caius, answer me honestly. Who do you trust, and who do you love most?”
The question landed like a hammer blow.
For an instant, guilt flickered across his face-embarrassment, shame-but he quickly masked it with anger.
“Stop spouting nonsense! Everything I said is the truth!”
I no longer looked at him. Instead, I raised the USB drive I had been holding tight in my hand.
“This,” I said, “is the truth.”
The projection screen lit up. Elowen’s Instagram interface appeared, every word clear:
[Elowen]: Caius likes me. Be smart and back off before you regret it.
[Elowen]: I sent those guys from the bar to harass you. Worked, didn’t it? Caius really thinks you’re dirty now-disgusting to even touch.
[Elowen]: I just bat my lashes, say something bad about you, and he believes me. Your scholarship, your job… sooner or later, they’ll all be mine.
She had deleted the messages less than two minutes later. But the screen recorder had already captured everything.
Caius froze, eyes wide with disbelief. “Elowen, you…”
Elowen’s face drained white. Realizing denial was pointless, she glared at me with venom.
“That’s right. I posted it! So what? I hate you! I’ll take everything-your boyfriend, your honor, your future. All of it!”
Her voice cracked into a scream. “Your parents killed mine! They made me an orphan! Your whole family owes me! You should’ve died when you slit your wrists-why didn’t you just die?”
Snap!
A sharp slap rang through the auditorium. Caius’ palm had struck Elowen across the face.
He staggered back, his finger trembling as he pointed at her.
“You… you’ve been lying to me? Using me this whole time?”
Elowen collapsed, then threw back her head and laughed wildly.
“Lying to you? Don’t act so pure. Haven’t you always despised her? How many times did you complain to me-calling her filthy, saying you forced yourself to stay with her out of some pathetic sense of morality?”
Each word stripped Caius bare. His face blanched, his mouth worked soundlessly, but no defense came.
A bitter smile curved my lips.
01 0
3:38 pm P PPP.
“Let’s break up, Caius.”
His head snapped up, eyes wild with panic.
“Serene, no! Listen to me, I love you, I just—”
I shook my head, cutting him off.
“No need to explain. She’s right. The estrangement, the resentment-you can’t hide it. From the beginning, you never believed I was ‘clean.’ That’s enough. It’s over.”
At that moment, a figure rose from the audience.
Tall, steady, a large bouquet of golden sunflowers in his arms. He walked toward the podium, each step sure and unhurried.
Caius stared, frowning, as if the man’s face stirred some half-buried recognition.
Rowan Ashford stopped in front of me. With quiet composure, he held out the bouquet of
sunflowers.
3:38 pm P PPP.
