Chapter Nine
Lena
I’m back home at my parents’ house. Away from the Academy and the stares and the rumors.
This place used to be my safe haven, but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. At least, not tonight. My parents are traveling for the weekend, and Abby’s not back yet from her follow-up visit at the hospital, so the house is quiet.
I’m curled up in my favorite spot by the window, knees tucked to my chest, fingers crossed painfully tight as I stare blankly out at the city lights. Hours have slipped by since I rushed here, but the heaviness in my chest hasn’t eased. If anything, it’s only grown.
It’s selfish, because I know she’s in pain and has her own problems to deal with, but I want my sister right now, want to tell her everything that’s happened and everything I’m feeling.
My mind keeps replaying everything moment of the past twenty-four hours—stumbling on the dance floor, Damien coming to the rescue, finding the threat in my locker, going to Damien’s house and everything that happened after…
It’s hard to believe it all happened in such a short time. More than that, it’s hard to believe that I’m trending in the news for the most scandalous thing ever. It’s ridiculous as much as it is scary.
Underneath all the thoughts whirling in my head, one question keeps gnawing at my subconscious:
How did I let myself get so tangled up in this mess?
Of course, I know the answer. It’s all my fault. I was the one who thought it was a good idea to date someone like Logan. I know he’s behind all of this, even though I have no evidence.
I never should have trusted him.
But even as guilt eats at me, there’s one thing I don’t regret.
Damien.
Just thinking his name makes my throat tighten. He’s the one good thing that came from all of this, and the very thought that it’s over between us makes my chest ache in ways I can’t put into words.
Maybe it has to be like this. Maybe he’ll decide I’m not worth the risk, that I’ll only drag him down. If he walks away, I wouldn’t even blame him. He’d only be protecting everything he’s worked so hard to build. His empire. His name.
I tell myself I can live with that.
But it’s a lie.
It’s only been a few hours, and I miss him so much it hurts.
My fingers twitch toward my phone on the side table, dark and silent where I tossed it earlier.
I turned it off after the fifth call, because the buzzing wouldn’t stop.
Reporters, classmates, strangers…I didn’t want to talk to any of them.
But what if Damien tried to reach me? The thought coils around my chest like a vise. For a heartbeat, I hover, debating whether to turn it back on.
But what if he didn’t?
That would break me even more.
The sound of the front door creaking open pulls me back to the present. A moment later, Abby steps into the room.
She looks pale, her frame smaller than it should be, like the oversized sweater she’s wearing is swallowing her whole. Her braid has loosened, strands of dark hair falling around her face, and there’s a weariness in her green eyes that makes guilt punch me square in the gut.
“Abby…” I whisper, my voice cracking.
She smiles at me and says, “I’m glad you’re home. I was worried.”
The words hang between us like smoke.
Abby drops her bag by the door and sinks into the armchair across from me.
She looks exhausted, her cheeks hollow, skin pale, and a faint tremor runs through her hands as she pulls her sweater tighter.
The familiar stab of guilt slices through me.
While I’ve been drowning in my own mess, she’s been fighting battles I can’t even imagine.
And yet she’s the one giving me that soft, steady smile.
“They ran more tests,” she says quietly, as if it’s nothing. “Same old story.”
The words nearly undo me. My throat tightens, but before I can find the right response, the dam inside me cracks.
“Abby, I—” My voice breaks, and suddenly I’m choking on the sob I’ve been holding back for hours.
I bury my face in my hands, hot tears spilling freely.
“I didn’t do it, I swear. I didn’t sleep with anyone to get a role. I didn’t—”
The shame, the humiliation, the weight of every whisper…it all presses down on me until I can’t breathe.
In a heartbeat, Abby is beside me. She kneels, ignoring her own fatigue, and pulls my trembling hands from my face, forcing me to look at her.
“Hey. Stop. I know you didn’t,” she says firmly, her eyes shimmering but steady.
“Fuck that asshole Logan for spreading those filthy rumors about you.” I giggle at the harsh language from my normally gentle sister, and she continues, “I know you. You’ve worked harder than anyone I’ve ever met.
You’ve earned every single thing you’ve achieved. ”
Her words shatter something inside me, and I crumble into her arms. She strokes my hair, her fingers gentle despite their slight tremor, murmuring soothing words against my ear.
“You’re not alone in this. You never were.
You’re living the dream I had to give up, remember?
Every time you step on that stage, it’s like I’m there too.
And you’re doing it better than I ever could. ”
I cling to her like a lifeline, sobbing into her sweater, and when I’ve finally spent most of my tears, I admit, “But, um…I want you to be the first to know that it’s not all rumors. I mean, you already know I never slept with Logan, but his dad…”
My sister gasps. “No! What?” She pulls back to look into my eyes. “Really?”
I can’t help it—I smile a little through my tears. “Yeah, I mean, I didn’t do it for a role, or for my scholarship, or for my spot at the Academy. But last night, it was…amazing. Damien was…he was everything.”
Abby examines my expression closely, like she’s giving my soul an X-ray. “You do seem different,” she says with certainty. “Happy, despite all the chaos.”
I sigh. “I am. And I don’t regret it. I don’t regret him. But Abby, what if I lose it all? What if they take it all away from me?”
“Then you’ll fight.” Her voice is soft but strong. “You’ve always fought. And if you fall, you’ll rise again. That’s what makes you you.” She pulls back enough to cup my face, her green eyes locking on mine. “And no rumor, no jealous ex, no scandal will ever change that.”
Her faith in me slices through the fog of despair. For a moment, I almost believe her.
I faintly hear something about Blackwell Enterprises on the TV and I look up in time to see Damien appear on the screen.
He’s at a press podium, flanked by reporters, cameras flashing like gunfire.
His expression is sharp, commanding, his suit immaculate, and his eyes…
those piercing gray eyes seem to stare directly into mine. Almost like he knows I’m watching.
A reporter asks about the rumors, and he doesn’t hesitate.
“The rumors surrounding Lena Clarke are false,” he says, his voice deep, cutting through the chaos.
“She is one of the most talented young dancers at Blackwell Academy, and she’s earned her place through grit and perseverance.
She has never used deceit or manipulation to get where she is.
She is everything this Academy should stand for. ”
My breath catches.
Then his jaw softens just slightly, and his tone shifts. “And more than that…” He pauses, the moment stretching, daring the world to challenge him. “I am in love with her.”
The room on the screen erupts, shutters snapping, voices overlapping, but he keeps going, his gaze still fixed on mine through the screen.
“I fell in love with her from the moment I laid eyes on her, and spending time with her has only shown me more things to love. Lena…” he calls, his voice dropping an octave.
My heart skips a beat and I unconsciously lean forward in my seat.
“I love you.” There’s an intimate pause.
“I love your strength. I love your fire. I love the way you make me feel like I’ve been walking half-dead until you came crashing into my world.
And if anyone should be accused of seduction”—he raises his gaze a notch as if to address the audience, and a ghost of a smile tugs at his mouth, wry and wicked in a way only Damien can pull off—“it’s me.
Because I’ve been the one chasing her from the start.
Trying, and failing, not to fall at her feet every damn time she walks into a room. ”
A laugh bursts out of me, broken by tears, but it feels so real, so freeing, I can’t stop it. My cheeks are wet, my chest shaking, but for the first time in days, I feel light.
He loves me.
Damien Blackwell loves me!
Happiness surges through me so fast, so bright, it nearly knocks me off the couch. In that instant, it dawns on me…
My dreams, my goals, the stage, the spotlight—those things still matter, but not like this. Not like him. Damien isn’t just something I want. He’s the one thing I can’t live without.
“I’m sorry, Abby,” I whisper, already jumping to my feet. My chest feels like it could burst. “But I have to go.”
Abby gives me that small, tired smile, her eyes warm with understanding. “Go,” she says simply.
I grab my bag and kiss her forehead, murmuring a rushed goodbye before bolting out the door for the bus stop, adrenaline burning through my veins. My heart is on fire, carrying me forward. Toward him.
But I don’t get far.
As I come down the front steps, a hand shoots out of the shadows, yanking me sideways. My back slams against the wall of the house, the air forced from my lungs. Before I can scream, a cold hand covers my mouth.
“Didn’t I warn you to watch your back, princess?” says a familiar sneering voice.
My blood runs cold.
Logan.