Chapter 28:
Emily sat cross-legged on her bed, her phone resting beside her. The message from Max stared back at her, its simplicity belying the weight of his concern.
"Be careful, Emily. Call me if you need anything."
It wasn't like Max to be so cryptic. She reread it, her mind racing with possibilities. Be careful of what? Did he know something she didn't?
She hesitated for a moment before dialing his number. He picked up almost immediately.
"Emily," he said, his voice steady but tinged with urgency.
"What's going on, Max?" she asked. "Why did you send me that message?"
There was a pause on the other end. "I've been looking into some things," he admitted. "About your past. About Ethan."
Emily's stomach dropped. "Why would you do that?"
"Because I needed to understand what's happening," Max said. "And I think you do too."
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A Painful Revelation
Fifteen minutes later, Emily was sitting across from Max in the quiet corner of the campus café. He looked tired, like he hadn't slept in days.
"Tell me everything," she said, her voice firm.
Max hesitated before sliding a folder across the table. "I found these in the archives. You need to see them."
Emily opened the folder with trembling hands. Her eyes scanned the pages, each word hitting her like a blow. Ethan's disciplinary records. The reports about his behavior. The notes about her.
She closed the folder abruptly, her hands shaking. "I didn't know it was this bad," she whispered.
Max leaned forward, his expression softening. "You couldn't have known. Oliver kept it from you."
"Why?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Why didn't he tell me?"
"Maybe he thought he was protecting you," Max said. "But now it's coming back, and whoever's behind this...they're not going to stop."
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Confronting the Truth
Emily sat back in her chair, her mind reeling. The weight of the past felt suffocating, like it was pressing down on her chest.
"This is too much," she said finally. "I can't...I can't deal with this right now."
"You don't have to do it alone," Max said gently. "I'm here. And Sarah's here. We'll figure this out together."
Emily looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "Why are you doing this, Max? Why do you care so much?"
His gaze softened. "Because I care about you, Emily. More than you realize."
Her breath caught in her throat, but she didn't know how to respond.
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An Unwelcome Surprise
As they left the café, Emily's phone buzzed. She pulled it out, her heart sinking when she saw the now-familiar unknown number.
Unknown Number: You shouldn't trust him. He doesn't know the whole story.
Emily stopped in her tracks, her blood running cold.
"What is it?" Max asked, noticing her expression.
She showed him the message, her hands shaking.
Max's jaw tightened. "Whoever this is, they're watching us. They're trying to scare you."
"Well, it's working," Emily said, her voice trembling.
Max placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We're not going to let them win. Whoever they are, we'll find them."
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A Growing Divide
That night, Emily couldn't sleep. She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind racing. She couldn't shake the feeling that Max wasn't telling her everything.
And then there was Oliver. How much had he kept from her? And why?
Her phone buzzed again, startling her. She grabbed it quickly, half-expecting another message from the unknown number. But it was from Sarah.
Sarah: "Hey, are you okay? Max told me some of what's going on. I'm here if you need to talk."
Emily hesitated before replying: "I'm fine. Just trying to make sense of everything."
Sarah: "You don't have to do it alone, Em. Let's meet tomorrow. Just us."
Emily smiled faintly. At least she could always count on Sarah.
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The Next Morning
When Emily met Sarah at the campus park, the sun was shining, but Emily couldn't shake the cloud hanging over her.
Sarah pulled her into a hug. "You look terrible."
"Thanks," Emily said dryly.
They sat down on a bench, and Emily told her everything Max had shared, including the strange messages.
Sarah listened intently, her expression growing darker with each revelation.
"This is insane," she said when Emily finished. "Whoever's doing this has to have a reason. There's always a reason."
"But what if I'm the reason?" Emily said, her voice breaking.
"You're not," Sarah said firmly. "This isn't your fault, Emily. None of it is."
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A New Lead
As they talked, Emily's phone buzzed again. She glanced at it, her heart sinking when she saw another unknown message.
Unknown Number: Meet me at the library tonight. I'll tell you everything.
She showed the message to Sarah, who frowned.
"You can't go alone," Sarah said.
"I don't have a choice," Emily said. "If this person has answers, I need to hear them."
"Then I'm coming with you," Sarah said.
Emily nodded, grateful for her friend's support.
That night, as they walked to the library together, Emily couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap.
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