Whispers in the Wings
img img Whispers in the Wings img Chapter 2 No One Was Supposed to Know
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Chapter 6 Not Every Ghost Stays Dead img
Chapter 7 The Echo in the Wings img
Chapter 8 No One Claps for the Villain img
Chapter 9 The Curtain Doesn't Fall img
Chapter 10 The Man Behind the Curtain img
Chapter 11 The Second Stage img
Chapter 12 All the World's a Stage img
Chapter 13 BACKSTAGE HEAT img
Chapter 14 A MAN FROM BEFORE img
Chapter 15 LEO'S SMILE FADES img
Chapter 16 STORMS DON'T KNOCK img
Chapter 17 ASHES DON'T STAY BURIED img
Chapter 18 THE GHOSTS WE REHEARSE WITH img
Chapter 19 ECHOES UNDERNEATH img
Chapter 20 THE LAST MONOLOGUE img
Chapter 21 THE TRAPDOOR img
Chapter 22 THE SECOND ACT img
Chapter 23 THE STAGE BETWEEN WORLDS img
Chapter 24 NOTES IN BLOOD img
Chapter 25 THE PAGE THAT WRITES BACK img
Chapter 26 THE SCRIPT OF THE DEAD img
Chapter 27 THE FINAL REWRITE img
Chapter 28 THE TRIAL OF ELISE Laurent img
Chapter 29 THE MONOLOGUE OF THE MANY img
Chapter 30 THE STAGE THAT SHOULDN'T EXIST img
Chapter 31 BURN AFTER WRITING img
Chapter 32 THE CITY OF ECHOES img
Chapter 33 THE READER'S CUT img
Chapter 34 THE PAGE WITH NO LINES img
Chapter 35 THE UNWRITTEN MAN img
Chapter 36 THE UNFINISHED AUDIENCE img
Chapter 37 THE FINAL PAGE img
Chapter 38 THE TURNED PAGE img
Chapter 39 THE LONG SHADOW img
Chapter 40 THE NEXT STORY img
Chapter 41 THE ECHOED FLAME img
Chapter 42 THE FIRE REMEMBERS img
Chapter 43 BURN ME TWICE img
Chapter 44 THE SHADOW THAT REMEMBERS img
Chapter 45 THE WEIGHT OF A NAME img
Chapter 46 THE PRICE OF REMEMBERING img
Chapter 47 WRITE OR BURN img
Chapter 48 THE AUTHOR img
Chapter 49 THE FALL img
Chapter 50 ROUND TWO img
Chapter 51 WE WERE FALLING img
Chapter 52 THE INK THAT REMEMBERS img
Chapter 53 THE GHOST THAT KNOCKS img
Chapter 54 UNWRITTEN GRAVITY img
Chapter 55 THE FINAL DRAFT img
Chapter 56 DROWNING IN INK img
Chapter 57 INK BLEEDS BACKWARD img
Chapter 58 THE FIRST LIE img
Chapter 59 THE INK THAT BITES BACK img
Chapter 60 THE SACRIFICE SCRIPT img
Chapter 61 The Boy Who Forgot Her img
Chapter 62 THE INK GOD BLEEDS img
Chapter 63 THE INHERITED INK img
Chapter 64 THE INKWELL img
Chapter 65 THE PAGE BLEEDS BACK img
Chapter 66 THE RED PEN img
Chapter 67 THE AUTHOR'S ROOM img
Chapter 68 THE UNWRITTEN TRUTH img
Chapter 69 THE PRICE OF INK img
Chapter 70 GHOSTS IN THE INK img
Chapter 71 The Ties That Choke img
Chapter 72 The Ghost That Breathes img
Chapter 73 Caught in the Act img
Chapter 74 Smoke in the Spotlight img
Chapter 75 Curtain Call img
Chapter 76 The Ghost's Encore img
Chapter 77 Baptism of Fire img
Chapter 78 Exit Wounds img
Chapter 79 MIRRORS AND MARIONETTES img
Chapter 80 THE BODY DOUBLE img
Chapter 81 SMOKE AND ECHOES img
Chapter 82 THE FALL LINE img
Chapter 83 THE CHOICE img
Chapter 84 THE PROP ROOM img
Chapter 85 ACT ZERO img
Chapter 86 CURTAIN CALLS img
Chapter 87 HOUSE LIGHTS UP img
Chapter 88 THE FINAL GIRL DOESN'T RUN img
Chapter 89 THE DEAD DON'T STAY BURIED img
Chapter 90 GHOST LIGHTS img
Chapter 91 BIRTH RIGHTS img
Chapter 92 THE SCRIPTWRITER'S DAUGHTER img
Chapter 93 THE FEED img
Chapter 94 THE PERFORMANCE img
Chapter 95 ACT III img
Chapter 96 THE INTERMISSION ROOM img
Chapter 97 THE DIRECTOR'S CUT img
Chapter 98 CURTAIN RISES img
Chapter 99 THE REHEARSAL ROOM img
Chapter 100 GHOST DRAFT img
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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."

            
            

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