The morning sun streamed through the tattered curtains of the small apartment, casting a golden hue over the wooden floor. Amara sat hunched on the edge of her bed, staring at the pile of rejection letters scattered across the table. Her fingers gripped the crumpled paper of the most recent one, the ink smudged from the pressure of her hands.
Her chest felt hollow. She had spent the entire night going from one place to another, searching for someone—anyone—willing to lend her the money she desperately needed to pay her university fees. She had knocked on the doors of former employers, begged at places where she had once worked odd jobs. But no one had helped.
Her savings had already dried up, and without paying the fee, she couldn't sit for the upcoming exams. She wouldn't be allowed in the university anymore. That thought sent a deep wave of nausea rolling through her stomach.
She swallowed hard, blinking rapidly to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't cry now. There was no point. She needed a solution. But what? Where could she turn now?
The sudden vibration of her phone on the bedside table jolted her from her thoughts. She hesitated before picking it up, her heart pounding as she saw the caller ID.
University Administration.
A lump formed in her throat. Was this it? Had they already decided to officially expel her? Her fingers trembled as she answered the call.
"Amara Lenz speaking."
"Miss Lenz, you are required to report to the dean's office immediately." The voice was clipped and formal.
"May I ask—"
"Immediately." The call ended.
Amara stared at her phone, dread crawling up her spine. Something was wrong.
The walk to the university felt suffocating. The moment she entered the main building, students turned to whisper behind their hands. Their gazes felt sharper than ever, judgmental, amused—almost predatory. She swallowed, ignoring them as she hurried toward the administrative wing. Something was very, very wrong.
As she reached the dean's office, her steps faltered at the sight inside.
Lucas.
His parents.
The air was thick with tension as the dean sat at his desk, his expression carefully neutral. Lucas lounged in his chair, an amused smirk tugging at his lips, while his mother and father sat beside him, their gazes dripping with disdain.
The blood in Amara's veins turned cold.
"Miss Lenz, please have a seat."
Amara remained standing, her heart pounding. "What's going on?"
Lucas exhaled dramatically, shaking his head. "Amara, Amara… I really didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice."
A slow dread crept into her bones. "What are you talking about?"
His mother leaned forward, her expression sharp. "Do you deny having inappropriate relationships with professors?"
Amara's breath hitched. "What?"
Lucas's father scoffed. "Don't play innocent, girl. The evidence is clear."
A cold sweat broke over her skin. "There is no evidence because it's not true."
Lucas gave a low chuckle. "Really?" He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and turned it toward the room.
Lucas was the first to speak. "Oh, come on, Amara. You don't have to act innocent now."
Her brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
Lucas's smirk widened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With a flick of his finger, he tapped the screen, and a video began to play.
Amara's stomach twisted as she saw herself on the screen.
She was walking out of a room. Her clothes were different from what she had been wearing before.
The timestamp was from the previous night.
Her breath hitched. No. No, no, no.
"This is a misunderstanding," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Lucas chuckled. "A misunderstanding?" He turned to his parents. "See? She's trying to act like she has no idea what's going on."
His mother's eyes were sharp. "Miss Lenz, we have reason to believe that you've been engaging in highly inappropriate behavior within the university."
Her father scoffed. "We've heard the rumors, but this?" He gestured toward the video. "This is undeniable."
Amara's body went rigid. "That's not what happened. I didn't—"
Lucas interrupted smoothly. "Oh, come on. First, you try to seduce me, and now this? You think I wouldn't notice how desperate you've been?"
Her head snapped toward him, her vision blurring with rage. "I never—"
"You came to me, Amara. You wanted something from me, just like you wanted something from him," Lucas continued, his voice laced with mockery. "You think no one noticed how often you lingered around certain professors? You're ambitious. You wanted something in return."
Her breath came in short gasps. The weight of their words crashed down on her, suffocating her. "That's not true."
The dean finally spoke, his voice measured but firm. "Miss Lenz, this is a serious accusation. And this video—"
Amara's hands clenched into fists. "I didn't do anything."
Lucas let out a mock sigh. "Oh, Amara. You disappoint me. You could have come to me, you know? I could have protected you."
Her eyes burned with unshed tears. "You set me up."
Lucas leaned forward, lowering his voice so only she could hear. "And yet, no one will believe you."
A shiver ran down her spine. He was right. The power his family held, the influence they had over the university—there was no way she could fight this.
The dean sighed. "Miss Lenz, under these circumstances, I don't see how we can allow you to continue—"
"No," she whispered.
The word barely escaped her lips before Lucas stood, his smile widening. "Don't be upset, Amara. Some people just don't belong here."
Her heart pounded violently against her ribcage. This was it. They were forcing her out.
"Unless," Lucas said thoughtfully, tilting his head, "you'd like to reconsider."
Her entire body stiffened. "What?"
Lucas smirked. "You know, there are ways to fix this. You could apologize. Admit that you were just confused, that you may have made some… misjudgments."
Her stomach twisted in disgust. "You want me to lie?"
His father spoke up this time. "We want you to do the right thing."
Amara let out a bitter laugh. "The right thing?" Her voice trembled. "You mean let you destroy my reputation and walk away without a fight?"
Lucas shrugged. "Fight all you want, Amara. The truth doesn't matter when people already believe the lie."
She shook her head. "I won't let you do this."
The dean leaned back in his chair. "Miss Lenz, as of now, you are officially suspended pending further investigation. If you choose to comply with the requests of Mr. Everett and his family, we may reconsider our decision."
Amara sat frozen in the chair, her pulse pounding so violently she thought she might be sick. The walls of the university office seemed to close in on her, the weight of the stares pressing down like a physical force. The air was thick with judgment, with silent accusations, and with something else—something darker, something that made her stomach churn.
Her hands trembled in her lap, clenched so tightly together that her nails bit into her palms. She wanted to speak, to defend herself, but every word felt lodged in her throat, choking her.
Lucas sat opposite her, his posture relaxed, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. His parents, wealthy and powerful, exuded the kind of quiet authority that made people bend before them without question. The dean, his expression unreadable, sat behind his polished desk, tapping a pen against the surface.
The atmosphere was suffocating.
Amara swallowed hard, trying to steady herself. Her mind raced through the events of the past day, grasping for an explanation, a way out, but everything led back to the same horrifying realization.
She had been set up.
And she had walked right into it.
The video clip played again on the screen before her, a cruel, damning piece of evidence that twisted the truth beyond recognition. She watched herself stepping out of the professor's office, her clothes different from what she had worn earlier in the day. The footage was grainy, the angle carefully chosen to make it appear as though she had spent the night there.
But she knew the truth.
She remembered how a girl had stopped her the previous evening, feigning concern when she had gotten drenched in the rain. "Use that room to change," she had suggested sweetly, gesturing towards the office. "No one will mind."
She had been desperate, cold, and exhausted. She hadn't thought twice.
And now, that single decision was being used against her.
"It's not what it looks like," she said finally, her voice shaking.
Lucas let out a quiet chuckle, shaking his head. "Of course, that's what you'd say."
Her stomach twisted.
"Lucas," she said, forcing herself to meet his gaze. "You know this isn't true."
He leaned forward slightly, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Don't I?"
His mother sighed, shaking her head in disapproval. "Girls like you always think they can use their looks to manipulate men. First, the professor, and now my son."
Amara's breath hitched. "That's not—"
Lucas cut her off smoothly. "You wanted something from me too, didn't you?" He tilted his head, eyes dark with mockery. "I remember how you looked at me, how you always seemed to need my help. Wasn't it just a matter of time before you tried to seduce me too?"
"That's a lie!" Amara's voice cracked, her desperation spilling into her words. "I never—"
"It doesn't matter what you say," his father interjected coolly. "The evidence speaks for itself."
Amara turned to the dean, her last hope. "Sir, you know me. You know I'm not like this."
The dean exhaled, rubbing his temples. "This is a very serious accusation, Amara. Whether you meant to or not, you have placed the university in a difficult position."
She stared at him in disbelief. "You think I did this?"
"What I think is irrelevant. It's what the university board will think when they see this footage."
A chill ran down her spine.
This was really happening.
She was being erased, her name dragged through the dirt, and she had no way to stop it.
The room spun as panic set in. If the university expelled her, she would have nothing. No scholarship, no future, no way to fight for her father's work. Everything would be taken from her.
And that was the point, wasn't it?
She had been too close to something they didn't want her to have. And now, they were getting rid of her.
Her chest tightened, her vision blurred with unshed tears. "Please," she whispered. "Please, don't do this."
Lucas leaned back, satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. "Begging already?"
His words hit like a slap. She clenched her jaw, forcing herself to hold back the tears burning at the edge of her vision.
The dean sighed, shuffling some papers on his desk. "We will have to conduct a formal inquiry. Until then, Amara, you are suspended from all university activities."
Her breath caught. "Suspended?"
"Effective immediately."
Her world shattered in an instant.
She felt the weight of their gazes, the triumph in Lucas's smirk, the cold dismissal in his parents' eyes. They had won. They had taken everything from her, and no one had lifted a finger to stop them.
Her body shook as she rose unsteadily to her feet. The walls of the office blurred as she stumbled toward the door, her mind screaming at her to fight, to do something.
But what could she do?
She had nothing. No one.
"Amara."
The hairs on the back of her neck stood up.
The voice was smooth, dark, and utterly unreadable.
Amara's heart pounded.
Rafael stepped forward, each movement deliberate, calculated. He stopped beside her, his gaze flicking toward the screen still displaying the damning footage. A soft chuckle escaped him.
"Messy work," he mused, tilting his head. "Sloppy, even."
Lucas bristled. "What are you talking about?"
Rafael ignored him, turning his full attention to Amara.
"Tell me, Amara," he said, voice low and teasing. "What do you plan to do now?"
She couldn't answer. She couldn't even think.
His smile deepened. "Ah. That bad, is it?"
He leaned in, voice dropping just enough for only her to hear.
"Come to me," he murmured. "I'll give you shelter."
Her breath caught.
A shiver ran down her spine.
She had no idea if his words were a lifeline or another trap.
But right now, standing in a room full of people who had already condemned her, she wasn't sure she had a choice.