Chapter 20 Chapter 20

Chapter 20 Chapter 20
EVELYN POV

The greenhouse door had barely stopped vibrating when silence settled over us again. None of us moved at first. Ethan sat hunched over on the wooden bench, gripping the edges like he was afraid he would fall through the earth. Maya stood beside him with her arms folded tight across her chest. Daniel watched the door with a stare so sharp it looked like he could cut through glass.

I could still feel Lila’s presence in the air. Like smoke from a fire. Invisible but clinging.

Ethan wiped his palms on his jeans. “She knew we were here,” he whispered. “How did she know?”

Daniel lowered his gaze. “Because she is watching everything.”

Maya shook her head. “This is not normal behavior. This is obsession. She is not just smart. She is dangerous.”

Daniel stepped closer to Ethan. “You cannot back out now. She already knows you are talking. If you stay silent again, she will twist everything. She will make you the villain.”

Ethan let out a shaky breath. “I know. I am not backing out. I just did not expect her to walk in here.”

“None of us did,” I said.

Ethan finally met my eyes. His expression was raw. “She is not going to stop.”

“No,” Daniel said. “She will escalate.”

Maya placed a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “Then we need to move fast.”

Daniel nodded. “We go to administration. Now.”

Ethan swallowed hard. “Yes. Before she gets there and changes the story again.”

We left the greenhouse together, walking quickly across the grass. The cold morning air felt sharper now, almost biting. Every shadow between buildings made me tense. Every student who walked by with a white coat made my heart jump before I forced logic back in.

She had left.

But that did not mean she was gone.

When we reached the administration building, the lobby was crowded. Students sat in chairs waiting for meetings, staff carried stacks of papers, and a few professors stood in a small group whispering. It felt too bright and open compared to the greenhouse.

Daniel walked to the front desk.

“We need to speak with Dean Harper,” he said.

The receptionist looked up. “Do you have an appointment?”

“No,” Daniel said. “But this is urgent.”

The woman frowned. “The dean is in a meeting.”

Ethan stepped forward, voice steadier than I expected. “This is about Alex Carter’s death.”

The entire lobby went still.

The receptionist’s eyes widened. She stood up quickly. “Give me one moment.”

She disappeared behind a door.

Maya exhaled. “You said the right thing.”

Ethan shook his head. “I cannot believe I waited this long.”

“You are here now,” I said.

A minute passed before the receptionist returned. “The dean will see you.”

She led us down the long hallway. I felt my stomach tighten as we approached the office. The door was half-open again. The dean sat behind his desk with his glasses slightly tilted, reading something on his computer. The desk was neat. Too neat. As if someone had just cleaned it.

We stepped in.

He looked up.

His eyes went straight to Ethan.

“Ah,” he said. “Mr. Bennett. The roommate.”

Ethan swallowed. “Yes.”

“Come sit,” the dean said, gesturing to the chairs in front of his desk.

We sat. Daniel on the end, then me, then Ethan, and Maya beside him.

The dean steepled his fingers. “I understand you wish to provide information regarding the night of Alex Carter’s passing.”

Ethan nodded.

“Go on,” the dean said.

Ethan closed his eyes for a moment before speaking. “I saw Lila with him the night before he died. They were arguing. She grabbed his wrist. He tried to pull away. He told her to stop following him.”

The dean remained quiet, though his brow tightened slightly.

“They walked across the quad,” Ethan continued. “She was right behind him. They went toward the lake. I watched until they disappeared into the trees.”

The dean looked at Maya and then at me. “You three were with him?”

“We were not with him that night,” Daniel said. “But I knew about his fear. He told me she was following him. He told me he wanted to leave.”

“He told me too,” I said. “I found a USB he hid. He said she was at his door the night before he died.”

The dean tapped his fingers on the desk. “I have seen the video. The audio is unclear. It could be interpreted in multiple ways.”

Ethan shook his head. “There is no other way to interpret what I saw.”

The dean leaned back. “Why did you not report this earlier?”

Ethan’s face flushed with shame. “Because I went to staff. They did not listen. They told me I was stressed. That I was overthinking. That Lila was a model student.”

The dean looked at his assistant. “Did you block this report?”

The assistant stiffened. “Of course not.”

“You handled Alex Carter’s previous complaint,” the dean said.

“Yes. It was unsigned and unclear,” the assistant said. “We get many false alarms.”

Ethan’s voice rose slightly. “It was not a false alarm.”

The dean raised his hand. “Lower your voice.”

Ethan forced himself to calm down.

The dean looked at his assistant again. “Why was this not sent to security?”

“It did not seem credible,” the assistant said.

“Or,” Daniel said sharply, “because you are close to Lila.”

The assistant stiffened. “I do my job.”

“Do you?” Daniel said.

“Daniel,” I said quietly. “Not now.”

The dean looked at the assistant once more. “Bring me the complaint files for the last semester. All of them.”

The assistant nodded and left the office.

The dean then turned his attention back to Ethan. “Continue.”

Ethan nodded. “After Alex died, Lila threatened me. She told me she knew I saw something. She told me she could ruin my life if I spoke.”

The dean raised an eyebrow. “She said that to you?”

“Yes,” Ethan said. “And she forced me to stay silent.”

The dean’s expression darkened slightly, though he kept it controlled. “Why come forward now?”

Ethan looked at me. Then Daniel. Then Maya.

“Because she came to the greenhouse,” he said. “She found us. She threatened me again. She told me I would not be believed.”

The dean’s jaw tightened. “She approached you again.”

“Yes,” Ethan said. “And she tried to make me doubt myself again.”

The dean sat silently for a long moment.

Finally, he spoke. “I believe you.”

Ethan let out a breath like he had been underwater for months.

The dean continued. “What you have told me is serious. Much more serious than I understood yesterday. I need to verify these claims quickly. If they are true, disciplinary action will be taken immediately.”

“What kind of action?” Daniel asked.

“Suspension first,” the dean said. “Possibly expulsion.”

“She should be arrested,” Maya muttered.

The dean didn’t answer.

The door opened, and the assistant returned with a stack of files.

“These are the complaints filed this semester,” he said.

The dean took them.

The assistant left the files but did not leave the room. He stayed behind Daniel’s chair.

The dean flipped through the stack. His brow furrowed. Then he pulled out a file.

He frowned deeper.

“This,” he said, “is Alex Carter’s complaint.”

We leaned forward.

He skimmed it.

Then he read it again.

Then he placed it flat on the desk.

“This is not the complaint we saw yesterday,” he said.

My heart dropped. “What?”

Daniel leaned forward. “What do you mean?”

The dean looked at us, then at the assistant.

“This is a different version.”

Ethan’s face went pale. “What is that supposed to mean?”

The dean turned the page toward us.

The text on the complaint was different.

Shorter.

Vaguer.

Nothing about Lila’s behavior.

Nothing about stalking.

Nothing about fear.

It had been rewritten.

The dean’s voice was low. “This is a deliberate alteration.”

The assistant swallowed.

Daniel stood so fast his chair skidded. “You did this.”

The assistant stepped back. “I did what I was told.”

“Told by who?” Maya demanded.

Ethan whispered, “Lila.”

The assistant looked away. “I could lose my job.”

“You should,” Daniel said.

The dean closed the folder. “This is no longer an internal matter. I have no choice but to escalate this to campus security and the board.”

Ethan’s breath caught. “What happens now?”

The dean stood. “I am going to find her. You three will remain here.”

Daniel grabbed my wrist. “Evelyn stays with me.”

“You will all stay in this office,” the dean said.

He left.

The assistant left.

The door closed behind them.

We were alone.

Ethan’s voice trembled. “Do you think… do you think she knows they found out?”

Daniel nodded slowly. “She knew the moment we walked in here.”

Maya looked toward the door. “If she is cornered… what will she do?”

Daniel’s expression darkened. “She will try to flip the narrative again. Or disappear for a while.”

Then he added quietly:

“Or she will try something desperate.”

Ethan leaned forward. “We need to tell the officers everything. Not just what I saw. Everything.”

He looked at me.

“I am sorry,” he whispered. “For what she did to Alex. For not helping sooner.”

I shook my head. “You are helping now.”

Ethan looked devastated but determined. “She is going to fight back. Hard.”

Daniel nodded. “We will be ready.”

Maya paced the room. “Do you think she went to the dean?”

Ethan shook his head. “No. She is smarter than that. She will go somewhere she can control the story.”

Daniel’s eyes focused sharply.

“The student council building.”

We all froze.

“She has allies there,” Daniel said. “Staff who believe she is perfect. Students who owe her favors. She will turn them against us before the administration gets to her.”

“Then we go,” I said.

“No,” Daniel said quickly. “If she sees all of us coming, she will paint this as a witch hunt. She will make it look like you are obsessed with her.”

“Then who goes?” Maya asked.

Daniel looked at Ethan.

Ethan shook his head violently. “She will kill me.”

“No,” Daniel said. “Not alone. You and me.”

Ethan hesitated.

Maya stepped forward. “And us?”

“No,” Daniel said. “You two stay. If something goes wrong, the dean needs someone here to explain.”

I swallowed. “What if she lies to the council?”

Daniel met my eyes. “She will. That is why we need to stop her before she gets too far.”

Ethan stood slowly. “I will go.”

Daniel nodded.

“We go now.”

They headed toward the door.

I grabbed Daniel’s arm. “Be careful.”

He nodded once. “Always.”

He and Ethan stepped into the hallway.

The door closed behind them.

Maya and I stood alone in the dean’s office, listening to the fading footsteps.

I exhaled slowly. “Do you think they will find her?”

Maya nodded.

“Yes,” she said. “And I think she is waiting for them.”