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The night was suffocating, its dark embrace pulling me deeper into the pit of uncertainty. I stood alone in the empty hallway, my heart pounding in my chest. The office door slammed shut behind me, the echo of its force reverberating through my mind.
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I couldn't breathe.
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The weight of Riven's words crushed me, pressing against my ribs, suffocating me. "You're mine." He had said it with such ease, such conviction. The finality in his tone was unmistakable, and it left no room for resistance. I had always known my place here, but something in his voice… Something in the way he said it… made it feel like the walls were closing in.
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I shook my head, trying to force the thoughts away. I couldn't afford to let him control me like this. I couldn't afford to be weak.
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Taking a deep breath, I turned and walked down the corridor, the heavy silence of the compound surrounding me. My footsteps echoed off the stone walls, each one louder than the last. I wanted to escape. To run far away from this place. But I couldn't.
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The sound of footsteps approaching from behind broke my reverie. I froze, my body tensing as I turned around, expecting to see Noah. But it wasn't Noah who emerged from the shadows.
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It was Liam.
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My heart skipped a beat as our eyes met. His expression was unreadable, his face shadowed in the dim light. There was a tension in the air, an electric charge that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
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He didn't say anything immediately, just stood there, watching me with those piercing eyes. It was like he was waiting for something — a signal, a reaction. But I wasn't sure what.
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"I didn't expect to see you out here," I finally said, my voice quieter than usual.
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Liam raised an eyebrow, taking a step closer. "I could say the same about you," he replied, his voice low and almost dangerous. "What's going on, Riven?" He didn't even call me by my name. The distance in his words stung more than it should have.
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I swallowed, trying to mask the uncertainty in my voice. "Nothing. Just… a lot on my mind."
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Liam's gaze softened for a fraction of a second, but it was enough to make me wonder if I had imagined it. He wasn't just the cold, calculating leader of the university anymore. There was something more — something buried under the ice. And I was beginning to realize I wanted to know what it was.
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"You've always been a mystery," Liam said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you're not fooling me."
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I took a step back, my chest tightening. "What are you talking about?"
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Liam's eyes darkened. "You think you can hide behind that mask? The one you wear for everyone else?" He took another step forward, and I found myself instinctively backing away, though I couldn't pinpoint why. "You're just like the rest of us. Caught in this game."
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A shiver ran down my spine. The way he said it made my heart race, a mix of fear and something else — something I couldn't quite identify. But I wasn't about to let him see how his words affected me.
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"I'm nothing like you," I snapped, the words leaving my mouth sharper than I intended.
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Liam chuckled softly, but there was no humor in it. "You really believe that?" He took one last step closer, his gaze locked on mine, as if trying to search for something deep within me. "You may try to deny it, but deep down, you know it's true. You're just another player in this game."
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I opened my mouth to retort, but before I could, the sound of a door creaking open broke the tension between us. A figure appeared at the end of the hall, their silhouette casting a long shadow against the floor.
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It was Noah.
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Liam stepped back, his expression unreadable as Noah approached. The brief moment of intensity dissipated, leaving only a lingering unease. But the unspoken words between Liam and I remained, hanging in the air like a thick fog.
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"Riven," Noah's voice broke the silence. "We need to move. There's an issue with the plans."
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Liam nodded, his attention shifting away from me. "Lead the way," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. And just like that, he turned and walked past me without a second glance, his presence fading into the darkness.
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I stood there, frozen for a moment, as the sound of their footsteps faded into the distance. The chill of the hallway seemed to cling to me, and I couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted between me and Liam. It was subtle, but it was there.
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Noah's eyes lingered on me for a moment, but he said nothing as he followed Liam down the corridor. The silence left behind in their wake felt oppressive, suffocating. It was like the world had become a little smaller, a little darker.
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I didn't know what was going on with Liam, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know. But I couldn't ignore the pull between us, the tension that seemed to simmer beneath the surface whenever we were close.
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I turned and continued down the hall, the weight of my thoughts growing heavier with each step. Riven's words echoed in my mind, a constant reminder of the trap I was in. But it wasn't just Riven I had to worry about anymore.
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I had a feeling that Liam was about to change everything.
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[End of Chapter 12]
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