Lucian looked startled as he saw his girlfriend in the white robe—his eyes quickly registering that there were no undergarments underneath. The thought that instantly crossed his mind was the same one she had always told him to avoid: sex. And what justified his suspicion even more was that the delivery was meant for Nolan Vale.
Nolan Vale was an asshole. He was also a coursemate of Lucian's—though they weren't friends. Everyone knew Nolan as a rich playboy who was rumored to have slept with nearly every girl in their finance class. He was the son of the real estate tycoon Roderick Vale, who many suspected of being tied to the mafia.
"Could you give this to Nolan Vale?" Lucian said, his voice cracking as if trying to hold back a flood of emotions, while he extended the package to Liora—who looked just as surprised by his reaction.
As Liora took the box, Lucian leaned in and whispered into her ear, his voice low but firm, "It's over between us. You can enjoy your time with Nolan however you like."
Before she could respond, Lucian had already turned around and headed toward the elevator. With no choice left, Liora quietly went back inside.
Inside the softly lit elevator, Lucian stood still, his mind racing. Something about Liora and Nolan being together didn't sit right with him. He recalled all the times Liora had shut Nolan down on campus for trying to flirt with her. But at this point, none of that mattered—she had just given Nolan what she never gave him, her boyfriend of six months.
To Lucian, that said everything.
As he walked out of the high-rise, he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets and wandered the dimly lit street. He eventually ended up at the park—a place surrounded by wilted trees and soft street lights glowing faintly through the cold night. He sat on a bench facing the frozen lake, his mind drifting through memories of the times he and Liora shared.
This park had always been Lucian's escape. Whenever life hit too hard, this was his go-to spot. He didn't have the money to take out a girl for a one-night stand or see a therapist, and although he carried himself with a cold demeanor, inside, he was just an average guy trying to make it.
Liora had been his first girlfriend, and what he saw tonight truly hurt him. He had always believed that women needed a man who could provide for them, not someone who was struggling just to make rent—and tonight had only reinforced that belief.
---
Inside Nolan's room:
"Why did you call him here? I thought we agreed this would stay between the two of us!" Liora yelled, her brows furrowed in frustration.
Nolan, in a white robe with a glass of champagne in hand, smirked—radiating that arrogant rich-boy energy. The low lighting made the golden liquid in his glass shimmer faintly. He spoke softly, but every word was calculated to push her buttons.
"I didn't tell him to come here. I just placed a delivery with the convenience store where he works. I left a huge tip to make sure he'd be the one to bring it. Come on, what do you even see in a guy like that? He can't buy you anything you want. You could be with me and live like a princess—as long as you give me what I want."
Infuriated, Liora cut him off mid-sentence. She grabbed her clothes and stormed toward the bathroom.
"You think pounding me like you paid for a one-night stand is your idea of treating me like a princess? You're sick."
Her words seemed to finally hit a nerve.
"If you're not ready to be my princess," Nolan said, suddenly quieter, "then get ready to see your nudes on the school's group chat."
Liora didn't flinch. "Tell that crap to someone else. I'm done falling for that. If you even think about leaking anything, then get ready for your own sex tape to hit every social media platform. In fact, check your inbox. I already sent you a little preview. And don't think about attacking me for my phone—it's all backed up to the cloud."
Nolan stared at his phone in silence. He realized then that Liora wasn't bluffing. If news of this got out, it would tarnish his father's name—and he knew his father wouldn't take that lightly. Defeated, he said nothing as Liora walked out.
---
Outside Lucian's apartment:
Liora reached Lucian's apartment only to find it locked, no signs of Lucian or Styles. Just as she was about to give up, she saw Styles walking back from his overtime shift, loudly humming a Taylor Swift song without a care in the world.
"Can you please tell me where I can find Lucian?" she asked, trying to hide the urgency in her voice.
Caught off guard, Styles raised a brow. "Hope everything's okay? He should be back by now… If he's not home, then he's probably at the park at the end of the street."
Liora didn't even reply—she just sprinted off as if she were being chased.
When she reached the park, she saw Lucian just about to leave. Without thinking, she ran up to him and gently clutched his arm, pressing herself close ensuring her two babies were touching him to catch his attention in the only way she knew might still work.
In a soft, shaky voice, she said, "I'm sorry… I had no other choice but to do that."
Lucian looked down at her, his face unreadable. "What do you mean by that? Can you explain?"
Liora nodded and began to tell him everything—this time, with complete honesty. She knew Lucian hated lies more than anything, so she didn't hold back.
After she finished, Lucian looked into her eyes.
"I'm sorry for everything," he said quietly. "But we can't be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore. I don't know if everything you said is true—. Maybe… just maybe, if I can confirm it all, we'll see if we could still be friends but being in a relationship is completely out of the question."
Hearing this brought a sense of calm to Liora. At least, she knew it wasn't completely over.