Chapter 98 Chapter 98

Chapter 98 Chapter 98
  Zayelle didn’t wait for things to fall apart.
  She moved before they could.
  Cass felt it before she saw it.
  That shift in the air.
  The kind that made conversations pause mid-sentence and eyes flicker in one direction.
  She followed the silence.
  And there she was.
  Zayelle stood near the center of the courtyard, sunlight catching against her hair, her posture effortless, like she hadn’t just walked into tension—like she owned it.
  Students gathered around her in that subtle way people always did.
  Not too close.
  But close enough.
  Watching.
  Listening.
  Waiting.
  Cass tried to walk past.
  She really did.
  But—
  “Cass.”
  Her name, soft and controlled.
  Cass stopped.
  Of course she did.
  Slowly, she turned.
  Zayelle smiled faintly.
  “Can we talk?”
  Cass let out a quiet breath.
  “You never ask that unless you’ve already decided we are.”
  Zayelle didn’t deny it.
  She stepped aside slightly, motioning toward a quieter corner of the courtyard.
  Cass hesitated.
  Then followed.
  Because at this point?
  Avoiding her wasn’t solving anything.
  They stood under the shade of a large tree, the noise of the courtyard fading just enough to give the illusion of privacy.
  Zayelle didn’t waste time.
  “You told him,” she said.
  Not a question.
  Cass crossed her arms.
  “Yes.”
  Zayelle nodded once, like she expected it.
  “And?”
  “And he didn’t know,” Cass replied.
  A flicker of something passed through Zayelle’s eyes.
  Interest.
  Not surprise.
  “I figured,” she said.
  Cass stilled.
  “You figured?”
  Zayelle tilted her head slightly.
  “Jace isn’t good at hiding things like that.”
  The words were casual.
  But the implication wasn’t.
  Cass’s voice dropped.
  “You knew.”
  Zayelle held her gaze.
  “I knew enough.”
  Silence hit hard.
  Cass felt her heartbeat pick up again.
  “How long?” she asked.
  Zayelle didn’t rush the answer.
  “Longer than you.”
  That was all she needed to say.
  Because it confirmed everything.
  Cass let out a slow breath, shaking her head.
  “So all this time… you’ve been playing along.”
  Zayelle’s expression didn’t change.
  “I’ve been managing a situation.”
  “By lying?”
  “I never lied to you.”
  Cass laughed softly.
  “You just left out the part where your entire world is built on the same past mine is tied to?”
  Zayelle didn’t react.
  “Details matter depending on timing,” she said calmly.
  Cass stared at her.
  “You’re unbelievable.”
  “Am I wrong?” Zayelle asked.
  “Yes,” Cass snapped. “You are.”
  “Then tell me,” Zayelle said quietly, stepping closer, “what part of this feels accidental to you?”
  That stopped Cass.
  Because—
  Nothing did.
  Not anymore.
  Zayelle saw it in her face.
  The realization settling in.
  The doubt.
  The anger.
  “That’s what I thought,” she said softly.
  Cass’s voice sharpened.
  “You think this gives you the right to control everything?”
  Zayelle shook her head slightly.
  “It gives me the responsibility to prevent it from getting worse.”
  Cass let out a breath.
  “Worse than what? A truth no one wants to admit?”
  Zayelle’s gaze hardened just a fraction.
  “Worse than history repeating itself.”
  That line landed differently.
  Heavier.
  Cass frowned.
  “What does that mean?”
  Zayelle studied her for a moment.
  Like she was deciding how much to say.
  Then—
  “Your father didn’t just make a mistake,” she said quietly.
  Cass’s stomach dropped.
  “What are you talking about?”
  Zayelle’s voice stayed calm.
  “He pushed too far.”
  The words felt sharp.
  Deliberate.
  “Pushed what?” Cass demanded.
  Zayelle didn’t answer immediately.
  Because this part—
  This part mattered.
  “He tried to take control of something that wasn’t fully his,” she said.
  Cass shook her head.
  “That’s not what my mom said.”
  “No,” Zayelle agreed softly. “Because your mom is telling you the version that lets you sleep at night.”
  Cass’s chest tightened.
  “And you’re telling me the truth?”
  “I’m telling you the version that explains why everything looks the way it does now.”
  Silence stretched.
  Cass’s thoughts racing.
  Pieces trying to connect.
  “But that still doesn’t explain what happened that night,” she said.
  Zayelle’s eyes didn’t waver.
  “No,” she agreed.
  “It doesn’t.”
  Cass stepped closer now.
  Her voice lower.
  More dangerous.
  “Then explain it.”
  For the first time—
  Zayelle hesitated.
  Just a second.
  But it was enough.
  “I wasn’t there,” she said.
  Cass’s frustration spiked.
  “But you know something.”
  Zayelle didn’t deny it.
  “I know there was a confrontation.”
  Cass’s heart started pounding.
  “What kind of confrontation?”
  Zayelle’s voice softened slightly.
  “The kind that changes everything.”
  Not enough.
  Not nearly enough.
  “You’re still holding back,” Cass said.
  “Yes.”
  At least she was honest about that.
  “Why?”
  Zayelle met her gaze fully.
  “Because once you know everything… you don’t get to go back to before.”
  Cass let out a shaky breath.
  “I’m already past that point.”
  Zayelle studied her.
  Long.
  Careful.
  Then said quietly—
  “Then be prepared for the possibility that the person you’re starting to question… isn’t the only one who did something wrong.”
  Cass’s chest tightened.
  “What does that mean?”
  Zayelle stepped back.
  Creating distance again.
  “It means,” she said softly, “that this story doesn’t have a clean side.”
  And then—
  She walked away.
  Just like that.
  Leaving Cass standing there with something heavier than before.
  Because now—
  This wasn’t just about suspicion.
  It was about truth.
  And the truth didn’t sound simple.
  Across campus, Jace stood alone near the bleachers, staring out at the empty field.
  His phone buzzed.
  A message from an unknown number.
  He opened it.
  A single line.
  Ask your father what really happened that night.
  No name.
  No context.
  But he didn’t need one.
  Because suddenly—
  Everything was pointing in the same direction.
  And none of it felt like coincidence anymore.