Chapter 3

I'm just about to head out for class when two women block the hallway. I try to call my estate manager, but Eli's mother grabs my arm to stop me.

His sister, Susan, leans smugly against the wall, wearing the custom silk dress that belongs to me.

"Put the phone down, Lia," Mary sneers.

I grip my phone tight. The anger in my chest is still boiling. "Get out of my way."

Susan waves a stamped document in her hand. "The school committee just approved our request. Your family's visitation process has been pushed back by three whole months."

Mary takes a step closer. "You can't even reach your family's company right now. Without us smoothing things over for you with the committee, you won't last a day at this school."

These idiots really think they can cut off my way out. I let out a cold laugh and shove right past Mary without a second thought.

"Three months? I'll have your entire family sleeping on the streets in three days."

I stride toward the training building. I need to ace today's simulation exam as fast as possible to get independent communication access. Once I connect to the fleet's satellite channel, none of these parasites will get away.

Machinery roars inside the training cabin. I slip on my safety goggles and grip the main helm with both hands.

Out of the corner of my eye, a figure slips into the control room. It's Ella.

Her face twists with malice as she shoves the heavy red operating lever all the way down without a second of hesitation.

The hydraulic crane arm swings around with a deafening crash. It moves way too fast, completely violating every safety protocol.

Bang!

The hundred-pound console slams violently into my stomach.

Blinding pain hits me. It feels like a rusty saw is violently ripping through my insides.

I collapse hard onto the metal floor. Cold sweat instantly soaks through my uniform. The baby. The baby who never even got to cry in my past life is being brutally ripped away from me.

"Oh my god, the machine is out of control!" Ella shrieks from the control room, faking panic.

Instructors and students immediately throw themselves into a panic, rushing toward the control center.

I can't stay here. Eli will definitely use the chaos to finish me off. I bite down on my lip until it bleeds, using the equipment's blind spot to hide. Gripping the freezing metal wall, I stumble toward the back door.

I stumble down the steps and crash right into a solid chest.

It's Kaelen. The captain of the naval team and the second son of a prominent board member. He wears a crisp navy blue uniform and steadily catches me before I hit the ground.

"You need a doctor," Kaelen says, his brows pulling together as he stares at my pale face.

"Don't call the campus doctor!" I grip his collar tightly and shove a solid gold family maritime badge into his palm. "Take this to the port. Find my family's fleet manager. Please, hurry!"

Kaelen grips the badge, just about to speak.

"Let her go!"

The back door kicks open violently. Eli bursts through, grabs a handful of my hair, and yanks me hard against him.

A tearing pain shoots through my scalp. I cry out, my vision instantly going dark around the edges.

"You crazy bitch! You break the equipment on purpose and think you can just run?" Eli roars at Kaelen. "Stay out of this. It's a personal matter!"

Kaelen steps forward, his eyes sharp and freezing cold. "Let her go. She's bleeding."

"Back off!" Emboldened by the crowd of students gathering around, Eli yanks my arm even harder. "I'm taking her back to the dorm to think about what she's done!"

I struggle desperately, but the agonizing pain in my stomach drains every ounce of my strength. The surging crowd blocks Kaelen, leaving me helpless as I'm dragged right back into hell.

Slam!

I hit the dorm room floor hard. The deadbolt clicks as he locks the door behind us.

Warm liquid gushes down my inner thighs. A hemorrhage. Blood quickly stains the expensive wool rug beneath me.

I curl into a ball, my fingernails digging desperately into the grooves of the hardwood floor. My whole body convulses in pain.

Eli stares down at me. There isn't a single shred of pity in his eyes. He literally bypasses the emergency phone on the desk.

"You killed him..." I grit out. Tears mix with the blood from my bitten lip and drip onto the floor.

"You're the one who messed with the controls." Eli coldly steps around the pool of my blood and drops a file right onto my face.

"Sign it."

I force my blurry eyes open. It's a written confession admitting to the unsafe operation of the training equipment.

"Once I turn in this disciplinary report, your maritime academy recommendation is all mine." Eli crouches down, forcefully pries my fingers apart, and shoves a fountain pen into my hand.

"Sign it, and I'll call a doctor. Otherwise, you can just bleed out right here."

He wants to destroy me completely. Steal my spot and trade my life for his future.

I raise my trembling hand. The overwhelming fury instantly drowns out the physical agony.

I grip the pen tight and violently plunge the metal nib straight into the back of Eli's hand.

"Fuck!" Eli screams in agony, yanking his hand back as blood instantly spills out.

"I'd rather die... than give you anything." I gasp for air, glaring up at him.

Enraged, Eli’s face twists into something ugly as he raises his hand to strike me.

Crash!

The solid wood door kicks open with massive force. The deadbolt shatters, sending wood splinters flying across the room.

Four fully equipped campus security officers storm inside.

Before Eli can even react, two officers twist his arms behind his back and slam him hard against the wall.

"What the hell are you doing? This is my room!" Eli thrashes wildly.

Kaelen strides into the room. He doesn't even spare Eli a glance, walking straight toward me in the pool of blood.

He shrugs off his uniform jacket and carefully wraps it around my freezing, trembling body.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Kaelen says softly, scooping me up into his arms.

Resting against his solid chest, the breath I've been holding finally leaves me. My body goes limp.

"Get a car ready for the private hospital off campus," Kaelen orders the officers behind him. "As for this guy, lock him in here and wait for the board to deal with him."

Eli's eyes practically bulge out of his head. He screams at our retreating backs in sheer desperation. "Kaelen! You can't take her! She has to sign the document!"

Kaelen carries me over the threshold. Without even looking back, he drops a single sentence. "She's not signing anything. But you? You're completely done."