“Sienna!”
The sudden scream made her jump so hard she almost dropped the white roses.
She whipped around to find Ryan standing in the downpour, absolutely drenched, his hair stuck to his forehead and his eyes looking completely psychotic.
How the hell had he tracked her down this fast…
A wave of fear and disgust hit her all at once. Every instinct told her to get the fuck away from him.
Before she could bolt, Ryan was running at her like some horror movie villain. He grabbed her
shoulders so hard she knew there’d be bruises.
“Why didn’t you tell me Nina screwed with your college apps?” His voice was wrecked, desperate.
“Why did you just ghost me and disappear to Europe? Do you know how insane I went looking for
you?”
Rain was pouring down his face, dripping onto her like freezing bullets. His grip was seriously hurting her.
“Ryan, you’re scaring me! Let go!” Sienna tried to pull away but he wasn’t budging.
“I’m not letting you disappear again!” He was staring at her like a total maniac.
“Is it him?” He jabbed his finger at Daniel, practically spitting with jealousy. “Is this guy the reason you threw away everything we had? We’ve known each other since we were kids, Sienna!”
“Back off.”
The
Daniel’s voice was quiet but had this edge that made everyone freeze.
He’d stepped right up next to Sienna, putting himself between her and Ryan without making it seem dramatic.
“I’m her professor and we’re not romantically involved. But even if we weren’t, Sienna can date whoever she wants. What you’re doing right now is stalking. Want me to call campus police?”
Ryan turned on him with these crazy eyes. “Mind your own business! This is between me and my girlfriend!”
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From Buat Priande to Natl. I (1.16
Chapter 15
“Ex–girlfriend.” Sienna’s voice cut through everything like a knife.
She ripped herself out of Ryan’s grip, her shoulders screaming in pain. “The second you picked Nina over me, we were done. I dumped you, Ryan. It’s been over for months.”
Ryan just stood there frozen, like his brain couldn’t compute what she’d said.
Rain kept pouring down his face as he stared at her, his voice all shaky and desperate. “No, that’s not… we never officially broke up… Sienna, you know I love you. Come back to Boston with me. I’ll fix everything I’ll cut Nina off completely, I’ll do whatever you want…”
“It’s too late.” Sienna’s smile was brutal. “Ryan, the second you started choosing her over me every damn time, I was done. I don’t love you anymore.”
Her words absolutely destroyed him.
He stumbled backward like she’d punched him in the gut, all the color draining from his face.
“Professor Hayes, can we go inside?” Sienna turned away from Ryan completely, her voice steady.
Daniel nodded and took her roses without making it weird, steering her toward the dorm entrance.
They walked right past Ryan like he was invisible. Sienna didn’t even look at him – just kept walking with this confident stride that said everything.
Once they were inside the building, away from the rain and Ryan’s breakdown, Sienna finally let her guard down. Her shoulders slumped with exhaustion.
“God, thank you so much for that,” she said to Daniel, her voice a little shaky now. “I don’t know
what would’ve happened if you weren’t there.”
Daniel handed her flowers back and gently brushed some raindrops off her jacket. “That’s what I’m here for. You okay though?”
His eyes went to her shoulders where Ryan had grabbed her. “Did that psycho hurt you?”
“I’m fine. Just gonna have some bruises probably.”
“Get some sleep,” Daniel said, not pushing her to talk about it. “Text me if you need anything, okay? Anything at all.”
Sienna nodded and headed for the elevator, still holding those white roses.
When she got to her floor, she couldn’t help looking back down the stairwell. Daniel was still
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From Best Friends to Betrayal Chose Myself
REM
Chapter 15
standing by the entrance, obviously waiting to make sure she got upstairs safely.
Something about him being there, solid and protective, made her feel safe for the first time in
months.
She finally went into her room and locked the door.
Only after he heard the click did Daniel’s concerned expression turn cold.
He glanced back at the pathetic mess still standing in the rain outside.
Yeah, this wasn’t over.
2019
