Chapter 74 The scream in the hallway
There it was. Exactly the conversation she had been dreading.
“I’m not avoiding you,” she said carefully. “I’ve just been dealing with a lot.”
His eyes softened even more, too soft, too concerned. He didn’t look like a professor at that moment.He looked like someone who believed he had a right to her life.
“Lila,” he said quietly. “You can talk to me. You know that.”
She inhaled deeply, then forced out the words before she lost courage.
“I don’t want you to treat me like your daughter.”
Mercer froze.
The silence was sharp enough to cut.
“I…” she continued, her voice steadier than she felt, “don’t want to be monitored. Or protected. Or told what to do. It makes me uncomfortable.”
His expression shattered into surprise and almost hurt.
“I didn’t realize you felt that way,” he said, voice barely a whisper. “My intentions were never to make you feel”
“Small?” She finished gently. “Controlled? Like I’m fragile?”
His shoulders sank.
“I’m sorry, Lila,” he murmured. “Truly. I thought I was helping. I’ll keep things professional from now on.”
She nodded, relieved and anxious all at once.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
He gave a slow nod. “Of course. You deserve respect. And space.”
Lila stood to leave. He didn’t try to stop her.
Back in the hallway, the air felt thinner, almost trembling with a tension only she could feel.
Her phone vibrated.
She froze.
She forced herself to look.
A new text from the same number.
“I love you, Lila. I always will. You’re perfect. My perfect red-haired love.”
Her stomach dropped. Her skin prickled.
Her eyes darted down the hall, it was almost empty, except for the janitor doing his job. Her heart thundered so loudly it felt like everyone should hear it.
She locked the screen with shaking hands.
“Not here,” she whispered to herself. “Not again.”
She turned to leave and someone tapped her shoulder.
Lila lifted her head slowly, expecting anyone except Asher.
He stood in front of her, eyes narrowed in concern. His hand was still half-raised from where he had tapped her.
“Asher…” Her voice cracked before she could steady it.
He barely got a word out before she stepped forward and threw her arms around him, clutching the front of his shirt like it was the only thing keeping her upright.
“Hey, Lila.” he murmured, startled, holding her shoulders gently. “What happened?”
She didn’t answer. Not with words.
Her hands shook too much.Her lungs wouldn’t obey.
She pulled back just enough to shove her phone into his hands. The text message still glowed on the screen.
His face changed instantly like a flame ignited behind his eyes.
“Come on,” he said sharply. “We can't talk about this here.”
He grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway not forcefully, not aggressively, but with a firmness that told her he wasn’t letting anything get to her while he was around.
Lila’s mind swirled as they walked.
Why now? Why here? How did he know exactly when I’d stepped out? Who… who is he? Was he following her?
Her breath came tight and uneven. She hated that she was shaking. She hated that she felt small again.
Asher pushed open the door to a quiet corner lounge. It was empty, dim, and it felt safe.
He made her sit down on the bench.
“Okay,” he said, crouching to her eye level, voice low but intense. “Start talking. Why were you in Mercer’s office?”
Lila blinked at him, the question cutting through the fog.
“Mercer invited me,” she whispered. “He wanted to know why I’ve been distant.”
Asher scoffed under his breath, standing up straight. “Of course he did.”
“Asher.”
“He’s always doing that,” Asher said, pacing once, jaw clenched. “Hovering, interfering, and acting like he owns..”
“He apologized,” Lila cut in.
That stopped him.
She continued quietly, “I told him I didn’t like the way he always tries to protect me. Or watch me. Or treat me like I’m his kid. He said he’d keep things professional.”
Asher studied her face, searching for any sign she didn’t believe her own words.
“You think he meant that?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
Asher exhaled hard, rubbing the back of his neck. “Lila, you need to start telling me what’s going on the moment it happens. Like these messages.” he lifted her phone again “how long has this been happening?”
Lila opened her mouth.
But the words didn’t come.
Because she didn’t know where to start. Her throat tightened.
“Asher…” she breathed, “I..”
A scream tore through the hallway.
A high, terrified, raw sound that ripped the air apart.
Asher’s head snapped toward the door instantly.
“What the hell?”
Another scream followed, louder this time, and definitely a female voice.
Lila shot to her feet, heart hammering so violently her vision blurred.
“Asher, someone’s here!”
“I know. Stay behind me.” His voice was sharp now, firm and protective. He moved fast, already at the door.
But Lila grabbed his wrist before he could open it.
“Asher.” Her voice trembled. “What if it’s him?”
He turned, eyes softening just a fraction at the fear in her voice but only a fraction.
“Then all the more reason I’m going first,” he said. “Lila, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
He freed his hand gently but firmly, cracked the door open, and peeked outside.
More shouting echoed from somewhere down the corridor. Running footsteps. Someone is crying. Panic spreading like wildfire.
Lila’s pulse thundered in her ears.
Not again. Please not again. Please not another girl. Please, again.
Asher glanced back at her. His expression was tight, tense, but controlled.
“Come on,” he said quietly. “Slowly.”
She followed him into the hallway, legs unsteady beneath her. The fluorescent lights flickered slightly, probably coincidence, but at that moment, everything felt like a sign.
Students were gathering near the stairwell.
A girl sobbed, clutching her bag. Someone asked, “Where did they find her?”
Another voice said, “What happened?”
Someone else whispered, “It’s the red-haired curse again.”
Lila’s stomach knotted so hard she thought she would collapse.
Asher stepped in front of her, blocking her from the worst of the crowd.
“Stay close,” he murmured.
She nodded, trying to breathe, but the air was tight with fear and speculation.
Then a girl at the edge of the crowd turned and blurted, “It’s starting all over. Another one.”
“Asher,” Lila whispered, her voice crumbling. “Another red-haired girl?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that silence told her everything she needed to know.
Her knees nearly buckled.
Asher caught her elbow quickly. “Hey, Lila breathe. Just breathe. You don’t know anything yet.”
But she did.
Deep down, she did.
He’s getting closer. Whoever he is, he’s right here.
Her phone buzzed again in her pocket.
She felt the vibration like a needle under her skin.
Asher saw her expression shift and his face hardened. “Don’t check it yet. Wait until we’re somewhere safer.”
But she had already pulled it out.
Another message.
“Did you see the next victim, my darling?
That’s what happens to girls who refuse to love me.”.
Lila’s breath shattered out of her.
Asher saw the text over her shoulder and his expression changed to fear flashing behind anger.
“Lila,” he whispered, “we have to find Detective Mara..”
But before they could take another step, they heard footsteps approaching from the hallway.