The tension between Aria and Damien continued to spiral, pulling them both into a chaotic dance neither fully understood. While Aria struggled to regain control over her life, Damien found himself increasingly unable to let her go.
---
Monday morning started with an unusual buzz in the air. Aria noticed it as soon as she stepped into the school. Whispers followed her, and glances lingered a little too long. Something was different, but she didn't know what.
Emma caught up with her at her locker, her expression a mix of concern and curiosity.
"Have you checked your email this morning?" Emma asked.
"No," Aria replied, her brow furrowing. "Why?"
Emma hesitated, pulling out her phone. "There's… something going around. About you."
Aria's stomach dropped. "What do you mean, 'something'?"
Emma didn't answer right away. Instead, she held out her phone. Aria snatched it, her heart pounding as she read the message on the screen.
It was a screenshot of an email that had been sent anonymously to the entire school. The subject line read: "The Nerd and the Bully."
Her blood ran cold as she read the contents. The email detailed her interactions with Damien—the spilled coffee, the confrontation in the library, even the hallway encounter after school. Every word painted her as weak and desperate, while Damien was portrayed as a predator with a twisted obsession.
Aria felt like the ground had been ripped out from under her.
"Who would do this?" she whispered, her hands trembling.
"I don't know," Emma said softly. "But we'll figure it out, Aria. Whoever did this crossed a line."
Aria's mind raced. The only person who knew about those moments was Damien. But why would he expose himself like this? He thrived on control, and this chaos didn't seem like his style.
The bell rang, cutting through her thoughts like a knife.
---
By lunchtime, the email had become the main topic of conversation. Everywhere Aria went, she felt the weight of people's stares. Whispers followed her down the hallways, their voices cruel and mocking.
"Did you hear? The nerd's got the bully wrapped around her finger."
"Maybe she's not so innocent after all."
"She's probably loving the attention."
Aria ducked her head, her face burning with humiliation. She couldn't eat, couldn't think.
Damien, on the other hand, was seething. He had spent the entire morning trying to figure out who had sent the email. He knew it wasn't Aria—she was too shaken to pull off something like this. But someone else had been watching, and that infuriated him.
By the time lunch rolled around, Damien's patience had run out. He found Aria sitting in the far corner of the cafeteria, her tray untouched and her shoulders slumped.
"Bennett," he said, his voice low and commanding.
She looked up, her eyes red-rimmed and tired.
"What do you want, Damien?" she asked, her voice flat.
He slid into the seat across from her, ignoring the curious glances from nearby tables. "You think I sent that email?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Who else could it have been?"
Damien leaned closer, his dark eyes flashing with anger. "If I wanted to ruin you, Bennett, I wouldn't hide behind some anonymous email."
"Then who did it?" she snapped, her frustration boiling over.
"I don't know," he admitted, his tone softening slightly. "But I'll find out."
Aria blinked, surprised by the unexpected promise in his voice. "Why do you care?"
His jaw tightened. "Because no one messes with what's mine."
Her breath caught. "I'm not yours, Damien."
He smirked, but there was no humor in it. "You keep telling yourself that."
---
The rest of the day passed in a blur, with Damien's words echoing in her mind. She wanted to hate him, to push him away, but a small part of her couldn't ignore the way he had defended her.
That evening, as Aria sat in her room, staring at the email on her laptop, a new message popped into her inbox.
"Meet me at the library. 9 PM. Come alone."
Her heart raced as she stared at the message. There was no name, no indication of who had sent it. But something told her it wasn't Damien.
Against her better judgment, she decided to go.
---
The school was eerily quiet as Aria slipped through the side entrance and made her way to the library. The faint hum of the overhead lights and the creak of the wooden floorboards were the only sounds as she stepped inside.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice trembling.
A shadow moved near the back of the room, and she froze.
"You're braver than I thought," a voice said, smooth and taunting.
It wasn't Damien.
A boy stepped into the light—a senior she didn't recognize. His smirk sent a chill down her spine.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Just someone who's tired of Damien Carter getting away with everything," he said, crossing his arms. "And you're the perfect way to bring him down."
"What are you talking about?"
He stepped closer, his gaze predatory. "You've caught his attention. That makes you valuable. But if you don't cooperate, I'll make sure everyone knows exactly what kind of game you're playing with him."
Aria's breath hitched. "I'm not playing any games."
He smirked. "Then you'd better start. Or this little email? It'll be nothing compared to what I'll do next."
Before she could respond, a loud crash echoed through the library. Both of them turned to see Damien standing near the entrance, his expression murderous.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Damien growled, his eyes locked on the boy.
The senior smirked, but there was fear in his eyes. "Just having a chat."
Damien didn't hesitate. He crossed the room in a few strides, grabbing the boy by the collar and slamming him against a bookshelf.
"If you ever go near her again, I'll make sure you regret it," Damien snarled.
The boy stammered something incoherent before Damien let him go, shoving him toward the door. He stumbled out of the library without looking back.
Aria stood frozen, her heart racing as Damien turned to her.
"Why are you here?" he demanded, his voice rough.
"I got an email," she said weakly.
His jaw tightened. "You should've told me."
"Why would I tell you?" she snapped, her fear giving way to anger. "You're part of the reason this is happening!"
Damien stepped closer, his dark eyes burning into hers. "And I'm the only one who can stop it."
Their gazes locked, the air between them crackling with tension.
"Why do you care so much?" she whispered.
"Because I can't lose you," he said, his voice barely audible.
For a moment, neither of them moved. Then Damien turned and walked out, leaving Aria alone with her racing thoughts and a heart that wouldn't stop pounding.