Chapter 2 No One Was Supposed to Know

Elise didn't answer.

She couldn't.

The words stuck somewhere between his stomach and his spine, caught between crime and distrust

Leo stood across from her like a stranger. His mouth tight. Eyes unreadable.

"You told someone?" he said again.

She quickly collected the phone from him like it was a tick bomb.

Her heart race so fast against her ribs.. "No," she said quickly, very quickly. "I didn't-"

"Then why the hell does the dean know my name?"

His tone wasn't loud. Wasn't cruel.

But it cut deeper than yelling ever could.

He wasn't angry.

Not really.

He was hurt.

Which made it a thousand times worse.

"I don't know," she said, lowering her voice . Breath shaky. "I didn't tell anyone about you. Not a word."

"You sure?" His eyes didn't blink. "You didn't say

something by accident? Let it slip to someone you

trust?"

"Elise." His voice dipped, breaking, " "Don't lie to me."

"I swear on God, Leo. I wouldn't."

Silence stretched between them.

Heavy. Sticky. Thick with everything unspoken.

Leo looked away, pulled one hand through his hair as he tried to get the moment out of his head.

"I knew it was a bad idea," he said.

"So why did you kiss me?" He shot back. "Why start any of this?"

"Because I wanted to," he said.

There it was. The honesty. Sharp enough to bleed.

"And you wanted to, too," he added. "Don't lie to yourself."

She turned her back to him.

Didn't argue.

Didn't deny it.

He let out a bitter laugh. "So what now? You pretend it never happened? Sweep it under the rug like every other mistake?"

"Would that be so bad?"

He flinched. "You're unbelievable."

He walked away.

She let him.

And that's what scared her the most.

Elise didn't sleep that night.

She sat curled up in the window, knees to her chest, still in yesterday's blouse. Watching the rain blur the city into watercolors.

Every time she closed her eyes, she felt him again.

His mouth. His hands. His voice like gravel in her ear.

Every nerve buzzed with a terrible combination of regret-and want.

At 3:02 a.m., her phone buzzed.

Dean Keller: Office. 8AM. No excuses.

She nearly hurled it across the room.

Morning came fast and cruel.

She dressed black clothes - no lipstick, no jewelry, no heel

Just armor.

The dean's office was cold and blindingly bright. She didn't sit. He didn't offer.

"There's been a report," he said.

Her throat went dry.

"What kind of report?"

"A complaint. Anonymous. About you and a male student."

She kept her face blank, body frozen.

"Do they have names?"

The dean's fingers tapped against his desk. "Leo Ruiz."

That name out loud felt like a match being struck.

He leaned forward. "Elise, this is serious. Are you involved with him?"

"No," she said, too fast.

He stared. One brow raised.

"...Not officially," she added.

Wrong.

So wrong.

Dean Keller sighed, folding his hands together like a disappointed parent. "You're a brilliant director. One of the best. And you know the policy. If this gets out-"

"It won't."

"You sure about that?"

No.

Not even a little.

She found Leo leaning against the wall near the studio, hood up, arms crossed.

"You told them no, right?" he asked without looking at her.

"Yes."

A pause.

"You still don't regret it?"

Her eyes met his. Raw. Bloodshot. Tired.

"I regret everything," she said. "And nothing."

He stepped toward her.

"Let me fix this."

She shook her head. "No. I'll handle it."

"Elise-"

"I said no."

But he didn't listen.

His mouth was on hers.

Not rushed. Not angry.

Softer. Slower.

Like he was trying to memorize the shape of her.

His hands wrapped around her waist like they knew her already.

And hers-traitorous-pulled him closer. Like she forgot how to be alone.

She broke the kiss, breathless. "We can't do this."

He smiled against her mouth. "We already did."

Two days passed.

She avoided everyone.

No calls. No texts. Not even from Leo.

The dean stayed silent, which was both a relief and a curse.

Maybe-maybe-they got lucky.

Maybe it would blow over.

She let herself believe it.

Right until her assistant burst into rehearsal, holding a tablet with trembling fingers.

"Elise," she said, voice shaking. "You need to see this."

She didn't want to.

She already knew.

She took the tablet anyway.

Her name. Leo's name. A headline in bold letters.

"Rumors Fly: Broadway Director Caught in Student Scandal?"

There was a photo.

Grainy. But clear enough.

Her.

Leo.

The bench behind the theater.

Their lips fused in a kiss she would've sworn was private.

Every molecule in her body screamed.

Her hand trembled. "Who leaked this?"

The assistant hesitated. Eyes wide. Face pale. "I think... I think it came from Leo's ex."

Elise blinked. "His what?"

"I didn't know he had one," the girl said. "But... she tagged him in a comment. And then deleted it. Too late."

Elise's stomach turned.

"There's more," the assistant said quietly.

She flipped the screen.

A video.

Not from the theater.

A hallway.

Leo yelling at someone. Slamming a locker.

Then punching the wall with his bare hand.

The caption read:

"EXCLUSIVE: The Real Leo Ruiz – Dangerous, Unstable, and Dating His Director?"

Elise felt cold all over.

This wasn't a scandal.

It was a setup.

Targeted.

Personal.

Someone wanted to ruin her.

And they didn't care who they destroyed along the way.

She handed the tablet back. Her voice barely a whisper.

"Get out. Close the door."

The girl nodded and left, quietly.

Elise sat alone on the stage steps.

Lights dimmed. Curtains closed.

And for the first time since the kiss, she didn't know what to do next.

Her phone buzzed.

A new number. No name.

She opened it.

"No one's going to save you. They'll all turn on you soon enough."

She stared. Frozen.

Another message followed.

"You don't deserve a second chance,Elise."