Chapter 15

The silence between them stretched long and tense. Eliana sat on the edge of the stone bench beneath the old oak tree in Crestwood's courtyard, fingers trembling around the bracelet she always wore Zayne's gift from last year. She used to think it was a promise. Now it felt like a chain.

He stood a few feet away, arms crossed, jaw set tight. "You don't believe me," he said flatly.

Eliana looked up, eyes searching his. "How can I, Zayne? You expect me to just accept that you've been sneaking around with Aria 'for my protection'? That doesn't even make sense."

"It's complicated," he muttered.

"That's not good enough anymore," she snapped, rising to her feet. "You keep saying it's complicated, but you never explain. And I'm tired of pretending it doesn't hurt."

Zayne's expression faltered. "You think I want to hurt you?"

"I think you already have."

They stood there, both frozen in the space between explanation and accusation. The sound of distant footsteps and murmuring students seemed to blur around them.

Zayne took a hesitant step closer. "Eliana... there's something going on. Something bigger than the two of us."

She stared at him. "Then tell me. For once, tell me the truth."

He hesitated again. "It's not just Aria. There's someone after you."

The words hung in the air, unexpected and chilling.

"What?" she breathed.

"I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to scare you," Zayne said. "But my father he warned me months ago. Someone is watching you. Looking for a way to use you against me."

Eliana blinked, caught between disbelief and fear. "That sounds ridiculous."

"Maybe. But it's real." He pulled something from his jacket pocket a folded note. "This was left in my locker two days ago."

She unfolded the paper slowly. The handwriting was sharp, deliberate.

"Lies unravel. Truth always finds its way. If she stays close, she'll break. Choose wisely, Zayne."

Her breath hitched. "Is this some kind of threat?"

Zayne nodded. "I didn't tell you because I thought if I distanced myself, they'd back off. I started spending time with Aria so it'd look like I'd moved on."

"So you used her?"

"I didn't mean to." He looked away. "It got messy."

Eliana felt the fury boiling in her chest. "You didn't trust me enough to tell me, but you trusted Aria?"

"She's involved too. Not in the way you think. Her father knows mine. He's been helping with look, it doesn't matter. The point is, I never stopped caring about you."

Her voice cracked. "But you did stop being honest with me."

The pain in his eyes mirrored her own, but it didn't soothe her. Not this time.

A sudden voice broke through the tension. "You really shouldn't be standing out here."

Eliana turned to see Vanessa approaching, arms folded across her chest, her expression unreadable.

Zayne stiffened. "Not now, Vanessa."

"I'm serious," she said, ignoring him. "Eliana, come with me."

"No," Zayne said sharply. "She stays."

Vanessa raised a brow. "Wow. Still pretending you're the hero? After everything?"

Eliana looked between them, her heart thudding. "What is going on?"

Zayne stepped forward, shielding Eliana. "Back off, Vanessa."

But Vanessa only smirked. "Funny how the truth starts surfacing when you least want it to. Isn't that right, Zayne?"

"What truth?" Eliana demanded, voice shaky.

Vanessa's smile faded. "He's not who you think he is. And neither is Aria."

Zayne clenched his fists. "You don't know anything."

"I know enough," Vanessa said, then turned to Eliana. "Come with me if you want answers. Real ones."

For a moment, Eliana hesitated. Zayne looked desperate, his eyes begging her to stay, to believe him. But everything inside her screamed for clarity. And if Vanessa had it even partially she needed to know.

"I'm sorry, Zayne," she whispered, brushing past him.

"Eliana," he called after her. "Don't trust her. She's playing her own game."

She didn't look back.

Vanessa led her into the empty art room. The scent of paint and turpentine clung to the air, and half-finished canvases lined the walls. Vanessa locked the door behind them.

"You better start talking," Eliana said, arms crossed.

Vanessa sighed. "You deserve to know everything. Starting with the fact that Aria isn't just a girl with a crush on your boyfriend. She's a handler."

Eliana frowned. "A what?"

"She's working with a group that's trying to manipulate Zayne and by extension, you. This isn't just school drama. It's way deeper than that."

Eliana sat down slowly, her knees weakening. "Why would anyone want to manipulate me?"

Vanessa hesitated. "Because of your father."

"My father's dead," Eliana said sharply.

"Exactly," Vanessa said. "And he wasn't just some small-time businessman like your mom told you. He was involved with things people that left enemies behind. People who think you might have inherited something dangerous. Information. Power. Connections."

"This is insane," Eliana murmured.

"It's real," Vanessa said quietly. "That note Zayne got? It's not the first. They've been watching you for months. They just needed a reason to act."

Eliana looked away, her chest tight. "So Zayne really was trying to protect me... in his own twisted way."

"Yes," Vanessa admitted. "But he still lied. And he let you take the fall."

"I don't know who to trust anymore," Eliana whispered.

"Then start with yourself," Vanessa said. "Your instincts are strong. That's why they're afraid of you."

Eliana looked up, eyes fierce now despite the confusion. "Then let them be afraid."

Vanessa leaned against the desk, her arms crossed, her tone softer now. "I didn't come to you just to stir things up, Eliana. I came because I know what it feels like to be lied to to be used. And I saw it happening to you."

Eliana sank into the nearest stool, her mind racing with everything she'd just heard. The betrayal. The manipulation. The possibility that her father's past had been more dangerous than she'd ever known. Her fingers gripped the edge of the table as if the wood might steady her spinning world.

"I need proof," she said at last, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vanessa nodded. "You'll get it. I've been collecting things messages, surveillance, even some old files from my brother's stash. He used to work with Aria's father before things went south. That's how I knew where to look."

"You knew all this, and you didn't say anything?" Eliana asked, eyes narrowing.

"I didn't know if I could trust you," Vanessa admitted. "We weren't exactly... friends."

"No," Eliana agreed bitterly. "We weren't."

"But that can change," Vanessa said. "If you let it."

Eliana studied her, still unsure. But right now, Vanessa was the only one giving her answers. The only one not pretending.

"Alright," Eliana said slowly. "Show me what you've got."

Vanessa gave a small smile. "Tomorrow night. The observatory. Midnight."

"Why not now?"

"Because if they know you're digging... they'll act fast. Too fast."

Eliana nodded. She didn't trust Vanessa not fully. But she trusted her own gut. And it was telling her something bigger was happening beneath the surface of Crestwood.

As she left the room, the bracelet around her wrist felt heavier than ever.

And for the first time, Eliana wasn't just heartbroken she was ready for war.