Chapter 34 – The Necklace
Sam's POV
The door creaked open, and I nearly stopped breathing. Whoever was outside was seconds from walking in.
Declan moved fast. He grabbed my wrist, tugging me close, and shoved the drawer shut with his other hand. “Shut up,” he hissed.
I froze, the heat of his grip searing through me.
The door opened a crack, and Nolan’s voice slipped in, lazy and cocky. “Yo, Ward, you still up? Thought I heard—”
Declan cut him off. “Not now.”
Nolan hesitated. “Who you talking to?”
“No one,” Declan snapped. “Shut the damn door.”
There was a pause, then Nolan chuckled. “Fine, man. Don’t get your panties in a twist.” The door clicked shut.
The silence afterward was suffocating. Declan didn’t let go of me right away. He just stared, eyes narrowed, smirk gone.
“You’re lucky,” he murmured. “If Nolan had walked in here…” He let the sentence trail off, like he wanted me to imagine the worst.
I yanked my wrist free, my pulse hammering. “I told you, it was a mistake.”
He studied me, then shook his head. “Whatever. Just remember—curiosity kills, Hale. And you? You’re too curious.”
He turned away, pulling a bottle from his shelf and unscrewing the cap. I took the chance. My eyes darted one last time across the room, desperate.
That’s when I saw it.
On the dresser, half-buried under a mess of coins and cufflinks, was a necklace.
My breath caught.
Not just any necklace.
Hers.
The silver chain, delicate and worn, with the tiny heart-shaped pendant I used to tease her about wearing every single day. The one she never took off, not once.
My sister’s necklace.
It felt like the floor dropped out beneath me.
Declan poured himself a drink, completely oblivious. “You’re still standing here. You planning on moving, or are you gonna watch me all night?”
I forced my voice steady, even as my chest twisted. “You drink alone often?”
He smirked, taking a sip. “Sometimes. Better than with idiots who can’t hold their liquor.”
I swallowed hard, my eyes glued to that necklace. Every instinct screamed at me to grab it. To demand why he had it. To make him answer.
But I couldn’t. Not yet.
If I slipped now, it was over.
“Right,” I muttered, edging back toward the door. “I’m gone.”
“Good,” Declan said, already pouring another glass. “Don’t come back.”
I slipped out before my legs gave out beneath me.
The hallway felt like it tilted beneath my feet. I gripped the wall, sucking in shaky breaths.
The necklace. In his room.
There was no way it could be a coincidence. None. That was hers. Which meant Declan had been there that night—or at least after.
I couldn’t keep this to myself.
Back in my room, Elias was still awake, sitting on his bed with a book. He looked up when I came in, his eyes narrowing instantly.
“Where the hell were you?”
“Out,” I muttered, shutting the door behind me.
“Out where?”
“Does it matter?” I kicked my shoes off, trying to look casual even though my chest was still caving in.
“Yes, it matters.” He shut his book, leaning forward. “You disappear in the middle of the night, come back looking like you’ve seen a ghost, and you expect me not to ask questions?”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re lying.”
I froze. His tone was too sharp, too certain.
“Elias—”
“What are you hiding, Hale?” he pressed, his gaze burning into me. “Because every day you prove you’re not just some random new kid. And if you keep playing whatever game this is, it’s going to get you killed.”
My throat tightened. If only he knew how close he was to the truth.
I forced a laugh, shaking my head. “You’re imagining things.”
“Am I?” he said softly.
Silence stretched between us. His eyes stayed locked on me, waiting, searching. I couldn’t breathe under it.
Finally, I mumbled, “I’m tired. Going to bed.”
I slid under my covers before he could say more. My back turned, my face buried in the pillow, I let the tears I’d been holding back sting at the corners of my eyes.
The necklace burned in my mind, over and over.
My sister’s voice echoed faintly in memory—her laughter, her way of fiddling with the pendant when she was nervous. She’d had it on the last day I saw her. Which meant Declan hadn’t just crossed paths with her. He’d touched her. He’d been close enough to rip that necklace from her neck.
The bile rose in my throat.
I couldn’t sleep. My body shook with rage and grief, even as I forced myself to stay still, to keep breathing slow so Elias wouldn’t notice.
The truth was there, in Declan’s room, gleaming like a blade.
I’d found my first real piece of evidence.
And I would tear him apart with it.
The next morning, I couldn’t stop replaying it. I went through the motions—classes, chores, meals—but my head was stuck in that moment. That necklace.
By evening, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I cornered Elias as he was folding laundry, his usual calm demeanor in place.
“Can I ask you something?”
He glanced up. “That depends. Are you actually going to give me a straight answer for once?”
I bit back a sigh. “Do you… do you think Declan’s hiding something?”
Elias stilled, the shirt in his hands forgotten. He studied me for a long moment.
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Just… call it a hunch.”
His brow furrowed. “You’ve been circling him since day one. What did you see?”
I shook my head quickly. “Nothing. Forget it.”
Elias stepped closer, lowering his voice. “No, tell me. If you know something about Ward, I need to hear it.”
I hesitated, my heart thundering. If I told him about the necklace, he’d ask how I saw it. He’d put the pieces together.
Not yet. I couldn’t let him know who I was.
“I just…” I forced a shrug. “I don’t trust him.”
“No one does,” Elias said dryly. Then, softer, “But if you’re digging into him, you’d better be careful. Ward plays dirty. He’ll chew you up if you give him the chance.”
“I’m not afraid of him,” I said before I could stop myself.
Elias’s lips curved in the faintest smile. “Good. Just don’t get reckless.”
Too late, I thought.
That night, lying in bed, I stared at the ceiling while Elias’s breathing went slow and even beside me. My hand curled into a fist under the covers.
The necklace was proof. But it wasn’t enough.
I needed more.
I needed to know everything Declan had done. Everything he was hiding.
And I would find it—even if it killed me.
The dorm creaked with the settling of old wood, shadows shifting across the ceiling. Somewhere in the dark, I swore I heard a whisper.
Or maybe it was just my sister’s voice, echoing from the past.
“Don’t stop, Sam.”
I shut my eyes, a single thought burning hot and dangerous in my chest.
Declan Ward had my sister’s necklace.
And one day soon, I was going to make him choke on it.