Chapter 5

Three months later, the campus café buzzed with chatter and laughter.

Leo suddenly dropped to one knee in front of me, holding a bouquet of sunflowers. The entire café fell silent instantly, all eyes focused on us.

"Evelyn Reed, will you be my girlfriend?" Leo's voice rang out loud and sincere, his eyes sparkling with pure love.

Students around us began cheering and clapping, someone whistled. This was the kind of youthful campus life I'd never experienced—open, bright, and free of secrets. A love confession without shadows.

I looked at this brave boy in front of me, feeling for the first time what it meant to be "cherished." Not controlled, not possessed, but treasured like something precious.

"I..." my voice trembled.

That's when I spotted those ice-cold silver-gray eyes in the corner of the café. Caelius sat in the shadows, expressionlessly watching it all, his coffee cup cracking under the pressure of his grip.

Terror washed over me like ice water.

"Leo, please get up," I managed a smile, "there are too many people here."

That evening, at the Long Island estate.

"Who is that boy?" Caelius's voice was as low as judgment from hell itself.

I stood in the center of the living room, hands gripping my skirt: "Just a classmate."

"Classmate?" Caelius let out a cold laugh, slowly walking toward me. "Classmates propose in public?"

"He only confessed. I didn't say yes."

"Didn't say yes?" He stopped in front of me, his slender fingers lifting my chin. "Then why do your eyes have light in them? For three years, this is the first time I've seen light in your eyes, Evelyn."

His fingers tightened, leaving purple bruises on my jaw. I endured the pain, not daring to make a sound.

The next day, I heard Leo had been called in by the department head, accused of academic misconduct in his coursework. The accusation was absurd, but I knew who was pulling the strings behind it. My heart sank to the depths.

Over the next few days, Leo stopped appearing at the library. I sat in our usual spot, staring at the empty chair across from me, a tremendous emptiness filling my chest. I told myself this was for the best—at least he wouldn't ruin his future because of me.

But a week later, at dusk, I was doing homework in my room when I heard the doorbell ring. Through the window, I saw an ordinary Honda parked outside the gates of Blackwood Manor, starkly out of place among the luxurious surroundings.

Leo stepped out of the car, his usual sunny smile replaced by firm determination. He walked straight to the gate and pressed the bell.

My heart nearly leaped from my chest. How dare he come here?

"I want to see Caelius Blackwood," I heard him tell the security guard at the entrance.

No, Leo, run! I screamed silently in my mind, but I didn't dare make a sound.

Ten minutes later, I saw Caelius appear at the gate, two bodyguards behind him. He still wore his perfect gentleman's attire, but I could feel the murderous intent in his eyes.

"Young man, do you know where you are?" Caelius's voice carried the arrogance typical of nobility.

"I know," Leo looked directly into his eyes. "I also know you're behind this. Academic misconduct? How much did you pay for those fake evidence?"

The corner of Caelius's mouth curved into a dangerous arc: "What exactly are you accusing me of?"

I couldn't stand it anymore. I ran out from the manor, panic written all over my face: "Leo, why are you here? Leave! Now!"

But Leo ignored me, still staring at Caelius: "I know what you've done to Evelyn. A normal guardian doesn't control an adult woman's life like this."

The air seemed to freeze.

Leo suddenly turned toward me, strode over, and kissed me right in front of Caelius.

The kiss was brief but decisive—a public declaration of war. My mind went blank, but courage I'd never felt before surged through my heart.

"Evelyn, you don't have to be afraid of him," Leo released me. "Real love doesn't make you afraid."

I felt Caelius's expression change, his fury almost becoming tangible, but he suppressed it, revealing a cold smile: "Young man, you don't know who you're going up against."

"I don't care," Leo showed no weakness. "If you truly love her, give her freedom. If you just want to control her, then you don't deserve her love."

Leo gave me one last deep look, then turned and left. I stood there, watching his car disappear into the night, my heart filled with both gratitude and terror.

Behind me came Caelius's suppressed breathing. I knew the storm was about to hit.

Sure enough, less than an hour after Leo left, Caelius burst into my room. His eyes burned with jealous fire, all reason completely lost.

"Did you forget who you belong to?" He roughly pushed me down onto the bed.

I tried to struggle, but his strength was far greater than I'd imagined. He tore at my clothes, his movements so rough they caused me pain. This wasn't the Caelius I knew, not the one who would gently stroke my hair afterward.

His kiss carried the taste of punishment, splitting my lip. I tasted blood.

"Did you like that boy touching you?" he hissed in my ear, his grip growing heavier. "Do you think he'll want you the way I do?"

I tried to speak, but he covered my mouth. His eyes held a madness I'd never seen before, like an enraged beast.

He left deep bite marks and scratches on my neck and shoulders, each one declaring my ownership. I bit down hard, refusing to make a sound, but tears streamed down uncontrollably.

"Remember," he whispered in my ear, "you'll never escape. If that boy dares come near you again, I'll destroy everything he has."

The next day, I dragged my battered body to the library. Leo was waiting there, his eyes full of concern.

"Evelyn! After yesterday I've been..." He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the bruises on my neck that makeup couldn't fully cover.

His face went pale instantly.

"Leave me, Leo." My voice was terrifyingly calm. "Being with me—you'll regret it."

"No, I won't leave," Leo tried to take my hand, but I pulled away.

"You don't understand." My voice trembled. "He'll destroy you. Just like he's destroyed everyone who's tried to get close to me. I can't let you ruin your future because of me."

I turned to leave, but Leo blocked my path.

"I won't accept breaking up." His voice was so firm it made my heart ache.

"Leo, you don't understand..."

"I do understand," he interrupted me. "I know someone is hurting you. I don't know what he's done to you, but I know this isn't love. Real love doesn't make you afraid, doesn't leave scars, doesn't make the light disappear from your eyes."

Tears welled up in my eyes: "I don't even know what's normal anymore. Since I was 15, I've... I'm broken, Leo."

"You're not broken," Leo gently touched my cheek, carefully avoiding the bruised areas. "You've just been caged for so long, you've forgotten what the outside world looks like."

"But if I let you get hurt..."

"That's my choice," Leo looked at me seriously. "Evelyn, give me a chance, give yourself a chance. I'll wait for the day you're ready."

In that moment, hope flickered in my heart for the first time. But immediately, I thought of last night's violence, of Caelius's words "I'll destroy everything he has," and fear enveloped me again.

I broke free from Leo's embrace, stumbling toward the depths of the library.

Behind me came Leo's voice: "I won't give up, Evelyn. I'll protect you."

That night, I stood at my dorm window, looking at the light still on in Leo's dorm building in the distance.

"Maybe..." I gently touched the wounds on my neck, "maybe I deserve to be truly loved."

But when I turned around, I saw the red light of the surveillance camera in the corner of the room... that suffocating red dot...