the phone in

eded to go back to her off-campus apartment. She needed a hot shower t

e old brick apartment building sh

eps slowed. A sleek, silver Porsche wa

y's

eaten her again. She walked past the car, entered the buildin

om her bag and slid th

The door was a

pen quietly. She stepped

ed her dead i

ning. The cheap fabric sofa was facing away from the entryway, creating a perfect blind spot. A

rd and peered through the gap in the decorative wooden d

renda had bought herself,

r. She let out a breathy laugh. "You're so

"She's just a boring bookworm. Y

as so profound, so utterly disgusting, that it bypas

d her phone out of her pocket. She opened the

bedrooms. From this concealed angle, she stood perfectly still, recording th

ain. She threw it as hard as she co

AN

e a gunshot in th

edge, his pants around his ankles, his face pale with terror. S

hind the divider. Her face

have asked your mother for an allowance," Brenda said, h

s hands were shaking. "Brenda, wait, it'

rolling down her cheeks. "Brenda, please! We coul

kitchen. She grabbed a large plastic cup, filled it to the brim with i

w the freezing water dir

ropping the pillow

ping between them. "Are yo

nd. She held up her phone, the screen stil

y apartment right now, or this video goes to the university's internal forum. Le

ut him off completely if a scandal like this broke. He grabbed

st it!" Emery yelled as they

r slamm

ent was de

contracted. She ran to the bathroom, fell to her knees in

d her face with cold water. She coul

ew days' worth of clothes and her laptop inside. She th

arage. She threw her bag into the passenger seat of

knuckles ached. A single tear escaped, hot and angry

ne and drove up the

rsection, a silver Porsche swerve

t. He ran to her window and started

ete the video! You can't do this to me!

rs. She slammed her foot on the gas pedal and jerked the ste

ecent drizzle. The Corolla'

. Brenda pumped the brak

methodically tailing her since she left the university ca

AS

lammed violently into the rear o

ad smacked against the steering wheel. A sharp, blinding pain shot throug

r vision blurri

, realized the massive trouble he had caused, and ran

ng her head. She looked up t

sive man in a black suit. He walked over to her car

with a sickening, burning pain. She pushed the door

to say, reaching for her insu

of the Maybach s

rds died in

immaculate. His slate-gray eyes locked onto her pal

gry. He looked en

d. His voice left absolu