Chapter 2

I took a cab to the penthouse of a high-end apartment complex.

I unlocked the door with my fingerprint and walked in.

This was my mom's gift for my eighteenth birthday, a place of my own.

She said, "Annie, I want you to always have the confidence and a place to fall back on."

Aside from my mom and me, nobody else knew about this place.

I set my luggage down, poured myself a glass of water, and stood by the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing at the dazzling city lights outside.

My phone kept buzzing in my pocket.

I pulled it out and saw missed calls from Dad, my brothers, and dozens from Ryan.

I switched my phone to airplane mode, not wanting to be bothered by them anymore.

The next morning, I went to school to get permission to live off campus.

My counselor looked a little taken aback, but signed off anyway.

As soon as I stepped out of the office, I ran right into Ryan.

He had dark circles under his eyes, looking like he hadn't slept a wink. He was still wearing the same suit from last night's performance, all rumpled and messy.

When he saw me, he rushed over and grabbed my wrist.

"Ann, why didn't you answer my calls? Do you have any idea how worried I was? I spent the whole night looking for you." Ryan asked.

His voice was loud, full of barely contained anger, and students in the hallway started staring at us.

I tried to yank my hand free, but he held on even tighter.

"Why are you so upset? There's really nothing going on between me and Nora. She's new here, has no friends, and is all alone. She seemed so pitiful," Ryan said.

"I already told her off, and she knows she messed up. Come back with me. Let's talk it out. Please, don't break up with me," Ryan said.

I looked at him and thought, 'How ridiculous.'

"Ryan, do you really think Nora's the issue here?" I asked.

He froze.

"Isn't it?" Ryan asked.

I said, "You chose her over me.

"You gave the performance I'd spent two months preparing to her.

"When I needed you to have my back, you called me boring and petty.

"So, we're done," I said.

Ryan looked completely lost, desperate to keep me but clueless about what to do.

Ryan faltered. "Ann, I..."

"Let go," Ethan said.

A cool, detached male voice came from nearby, and both Ryan and I turned to look.

Ethan Sinclair.

He was the school's big shot, not just the student council president but also the heir to an influential family.

He was half a head taller than Ryan, a slight frown on his face as he watched Ryan clutching my wrist.

Ryan clearly recognized him, and his expression grew even more sour, but he still wouldn't let go.

"This is between us. It's none of your business," Ryan snapped.

Ethan didn't say a word. His gaze lingered on me for a moment, calm and steady, but it felt like he could see right through all the walls I'd put up.

Then he turned to Ryan, his gaze went ice cold, dripping with disdain.

He pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of us.

He shook his phone and said coolly, "Well, well, fresh out of the oven, prime simp content for the school forum. Morons like you who think violence solves relationship drama? I bet the forum's gonna eat this up."

Ryan's face darkened even more. He shot me an angry glare, then finally let go of my wrist, clearly not wanting to.

"Ann, you'll regret this." Ryan snapped.

He snapped, then turned and walked away.

I rubbed my wrist, still red from his grip, and shot Ethan a quick "thanks."

Ethan put his phone away, his eyes lingering on my face for a couple of seconds.

He glanced at me and said, "That partner swap for your performance yesterday was pretty sudden, wasn't it?"

I let out a dry laugh. "Yeah, I really didn't see that coming."

He didn't press further, just said, "Take care living off campus on your own."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving me with nothing but his tall, straight back.

I watched him walk away, feeling something weird bubble up inside me.

We weren't really friends. We'd only met a few times in project meetings, yet he always looked out for me.

He seemed like he was way out of my league, up in the clouds, but honestly, he wasn't as far away as I thought.