Chapter 3

I thought that was the end of it.

Let him have his love story.

I'd wash my hands of Lucian for good.

Two or three days later, the rumors started at school.

"Did you hear? Elara Ashford's in love with her own stepfather. That's basically incest."

"I heard she tried to drug him too. Didn't work. He kicked her out. The Ashfords must be mortified."

"I never liked her anyway. That holier-than-thou look on her face. Take away the Ashford name, and what's left?"

I walked up behind them.

"I have top grades. And a shelf full of competition trophies."

They spun around.

That was when I recognized them—Serena's roommates.

I didn't bother softening my voice.

"I recorded everything you just said. Expect a letter from my lawyer. You're right about one thing—I have the Ashford family behind me. What do you have? Your lying mouths? Or just your shamelessness?"

"We're not lying. Go check the forum. There's a video."

I opened the site.

Someone had posted security footage from outside Lucian's apartment. You could see him through the open door, his face flushed.

But the clip ended the second he shoved me out.

Everything after—Serena's arrival—had been cut.

It was obvious who'd done it.

Before I could find Serena, Lucian found me.

He was waiting outside my classroom, his face like thunder.

Mindful of the Ashford name, he didn't go off in public.

He steered me to his car instead.

He threw his phone into my lap.

"Delete the post. I'll handle the rest of the gossip."

So he thought I was the one who'd posted it.

I stared at him.

"You're wrong. Serena—"

He cut me off.

"Don't bother lying. I traced the IP. It came from your laptop. The account was registered with your number. You own a unit in that building. Pulling the security footage would have been easy for you."

His eyes went colder.

"Should I keep going?"

Every excuse I could have offered was already walled off before I opened my mouth.

Even knowing he felt nothing for me, being accused like this still cut.

This man had taken up my entire youth.

I used my phone number to recover the forum password right in front of him.

Deleted the post.

He let out a cold scoff, ready to say something—

Then watched as I opened my messages and deleted his contact.

Looking back, the chat had mostly been me, talking to myself.

Lucian, the ribs at the dining hall today were good. But not as good as yours.

Lucian, Grandfather wants us home for dinner. Says he wants to introduce me to someone. What do I do?

His replies had been almost identical every time.

Ya.

I wiped him off my phone.

His number. His photos. Every last trace of him.

As he watched me do it, the composure drained from his face.

"Elara Ashford. What do you think you're doing?"

My voice came out flat.

"You think I'm annoying. You think being associated with me is humiliating. So let's just stop all contact."

His hand shot out, catching my arm as I reached for the door handle.

"Elara Ashford—I told you to delete the post. I never said I wanted to cut ties."

"Behave. Stay out of Serena's way. And we can go back to normal."

I almost laughed.

"I make things difficult for her?"

Lucian frowned.

"Of course. You had her kicked out of the student clubs. You reported her for cheating so she'd lose her scholarship. You've been making her life miserable."

"But I can fix all of that. I won't hold it against you."

I pried his fingers off my wrist, one by one.

"Father—you've misunderstood."

He hadn't heard me call him that—so solemnly, so deliberately—in a long time. It stopped him cold.

"It's me who doesn't want anything to do with you anymore."

I opened the car door.

"Not at all."

The door clicked shut between us.

Through the window, I watched the color drain from his face.