Chapter 157

Chapter 157
Zia

“You lost trust,” I said gently. “That’s heavier than money.”
He nodded slowly.
“But you’ll rebuild it,” I added. “Stronger. Smarter. You’ll learn who deserves it.”

He turned his head slightly, looking at me. “How do you know that?”
I smiled softly. “Because you’re your father’s son… and mine. And we don’t stay broken. We just… change shape a little.”
That earned the smallest ghost of a smile from him.
“I hate that this is my first real heartbreak,” he muttered.

I laughed quietly. “It’s rarely anyone’s last either. But I promise… not all of them feel like this.”
He exhaled, shoulders finally relaxing slightly.
“I’m glad I came home,” he admitted.
I kissed his temple gently. “You can always come home.”
And I meant it.

No matter how grown he got… no matter how strong or independent or stubborn he became… He’d always have a place where he could fall apart safely.
He leaned into me again, quieter now, calmer, just breathing. And I held him… knowing my son had just crossed another invisible line into adulthood.
Not through success. Not through independence. But through heartbreak.
And like every other stage in his life… I was going to be right here while he learned how to stand again.

Alexander

I didn’t think silence could feel loud until I started living inside it.
Campus used to buzz in a way that felt alive. Music drifting from open dorm windows, people yelling across courtyards, bikes scraping against pavement, and someone always laughing too hard at something probably not that funny. It used to be background noise I barely noticed. Now it felt like it pressed against my skull every time I stepped outside.
I kept my head down and my schedule tight. Classes. Library. Gym. Repeat.

Lila stayed glued to that routine with me. She never hovered, never pushed, just existed beside me like she always had since we were kids climbing the stair rails back home and getting yelled at for it. Having her there made everything steadier, even when neither of us said a word.
Word traveled fast on campus. Faster than rumors usually did. Faster than I expected. I didn’t spread anything. Lila didn’t spread anything. I barely talked to anyone outside group projects and professors. But secrets like that? They had a way of leaking through cracks people forgot existed.

It started three days after Aria tried cornering me outside the lecture hall.
I walked into the business ethics building early that morning. I liked being early now. Empty classrooms made breathing easier. I dropped my bag into my usual seat near the back and pulled out my laptop, already opening spreadsheets for the finance case study we were assigned.
That’s when I heard it. Two guys a few rows ahead of me were whispering, not realizing I’d walked in.

“Bro, I heard her boyfriend got caught bragging about it at that party Friday.”
“No way. About the bet?”
“Yeah. They said they almost landed it too. Said Alexander was halfway hooked.”

My fingers froze over my keyboard.
“They’re saying it was like fifty grand or something,” the other guy muttered. “Her boyfriend owes money. Bad money.”
“Idiot. Trying to scam a Thorne?”
“Exactly. That’s why she disappeared yesterday. She dropped two classes already.”
My jaw tightened, but I stayed still. Stayed quiet. I kept my eyes on the screen, like numbers suddenly fascinated me.

I expected anger. Rage. Something explosive, like the way I’d always handled conflict growing up. But it wasn’t there.
Just emptiness.
The guys noticed me a few seconds later. One of them cleared his throat awkwardly, nudging his friend, both of them going stiff when they realized who sat behind
them. They grabbed their bags and left before class even started.

I exhaled slowly. So that’s how it was spreading. Not through drama.
Through truth slipping out where it wasn’t supposed to. By lunch, I could feel eyes following me across campus. Not obvious. Just glances. Whispered conversations that stopped when I walked past.

I hated attention. Always had. Being Xander and Zia Thorne’s son came with enough of it already. Adding scandal to that felt like walking around with a spotlight taped to my forehead.
Lila slid into the chair across from me in the student center, dropping her tray with a soft clatter.
“You okay?” she asked casually, stirring her iced coffee.
“Yeah,” I said, picking at my sandwich.

She studied me like she always did when she knew I was lying but decided not to call me out yet.
“Do you hear anything?” she asked after a minute.
“Enough,” I muttered.

She nodded like she expected that answer.
“She hasn’t shown up to two of my shared lectures with her,” Lila said. “And Jenna’s been unusually quiet.”
That made me glance up.

“Quiet Jenna is suspicious Jenna,” I said.
“Exactly,” she agreed.
We sat in comfortable silence after that. It felt normal. Familiar. Safe. Until my phone buzzed on the table.
Unknown number.

I stared at it for a few seconds before picking it up.

“…Hello?”
There was a pause. Then Aria’s voice, shaky and barely above a whisper.
“Alexander… please don’t hang up.”

I closed my eyes briefly.
“What do you want?” I asked flatly.
“I need to explain—”
“There’s nothing to explain.”

“There is,” she insisted, voice cracking. “I didn’t know how bad it would get. I thought it was just a stupid dare at first. I didn’t know he owed people money. I didn’t know he’d push it this far—”
“Aria.”
She stopped talking.

“I told you already,” I said quietly. “I hope you figure your life out. I just won’t be part of it.”
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she whispered.
I almost laughed, but the sound stuck in my throat.

“That doesn’t change that you did.”
The silence stretched between us. Then she said something so quietly I almost missed it.
“I’m leaving school.”
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling.
“…Good,” I said finally. “A fresh start might help.”
Another pause. Then the line disconnected. I placed my phone face down on the table.

Lila didn’t ask what she said. She just reached across and stole half my fries like she used to when we were kids, pretending nothing changed. It helped more than any pep talk could have.

The next week confirmed Aria wasn’t lying. She dropped out officially.
Campus didn’t whisper anymore. They talked openly now. Her boyfriend got suspended after security pulled footage showing him bragging and flashing screenshots of text messages between them about “milking the rich heir.” That video spread faster than wildfire through student chats.
I hated watching it. Not because it embarrassed me. Because it made me feel stupid for almost believing she was different.

One afternoon, while leaving the library, Jenna caught up to me. Of course she did. She thrived on chaos like oxygen.
“Wow,” she said, matching my pace. “Are you okay? That must’ve been humiliating.”
I kept walking.

“You dodged a bullet,” she continued brightly. “Lucky for you, I actually like you for you.”
I stopped mid-step and turned toward her slowly.

“Jenna.”