Chapter 3

My blood turned ice-cold, inch by inch.

Ethan had moved faster and more ruthlessly than I'd imagined.

I clenched my fists and quickened my pace, just wanting to get back to my dorm—my only refuge.

But as soon as I reached the building, a crowd blocked my path.

Leading them was Ethan.

He had dark circles under his eyes, a conspicuous bandage on his forehead, looking haggard.

Beside him, Yara was supporting him with a face full of concern. When she saw me, triumph flashed through her eyes.

Ethan looked at me like I was something filthy, his eyes full of disgust and anguish.

He pointed at me, his voice trembling with emotion, as if he were the victim.

"Lila! How dare you show your face here?"

The crowd exploded, all eyes focused on me.

I watched his pathetic performance coldly.

But he seemed wounded by my gaze. He stepped forward abruptly, screaming hysterically:

"You spent last night screwing around with some random guy, and you have nothing to say?"

"I loved you so much—is this how you treat me?"

"I've already told the teacher. The school must severely punish a morally corrupt student like you!"

Every sentence was like a poisoned dagger, precisely stabbing into my heart.

The pointing and gossiping around me became a suffocating net.

I felt cold all over, trembling with rage.

This was the man I'd loved for three years—twisting facts, utterly shameless.

Under everyone's gaze, I actually calmed down.

Facing his hypocritical expression, I curved my lips into an icy smile.

"Oh? Really?"

"Then let's call the police."

The moment I spoke, the air seemed to freeze.

Ethan's face turned the color of liver, clearly not expecting this from me.

The crowd's whispers exploded like salt thrown into hot oil.

"Call the police? She dares call the police?"

"She's guilty—trying to scare people with threats."

Just then, a middle-aged woman with glasses pushed through the crowd. It was our advisor.

She looked at me with angry disappointment, her gaze severe.

"Lila! Come with me to the office!"

The teacher's appearance was like a shot of adrenaline for Ethan.

He immediately put on a heartbroken expression, pointing at me with a tearful voice.

"Professor, you came just in time! I never imagined Lila was this kind of person. I'm... I'm so disappointed in her!"

Yara beside him immediately chimed in, saying quietly to those around: "Ethan's just too kind—that's why she could deceive him so badly."

Working together, they nailed me to the pillar of shame.

The teacher's expression grew worse. She looked at me like I was hopeless trash.

My heart sank inch by inch into an icy abyss.

So this was what it felt like to be unable to defend yourself.

Just as the invisible pressure was about to crush me, a voice as cold as ice cut through all the noise.

"Who's taking her away?"

The crowd automatically parted.

A tall figure walked toward us against the light, military boots making steady, powerful sounds on the ground. Each step seemed to land on everyone's heart.

It was Lucas.

He wore a crisp military uniform, his shoulder insignia gleaming gold in the sunlight. That handsome, sharp face was covered with frost, his gaze like a blade sweeping across everyone present.

The noisy crowd fell instantly silent.

The smugness on Ethan's face froze.