Chapter 70 Breaking Point
Danielle's POV
You know that sinking feeling you get when you walk into a classroom and immediately regret existing?
Yeah. That was me the second I stepped into Advanced Calculus.
Everyone already had their graded scripts on their desks.
Some were laughing, some complaining, some bragging. I took my seat quietly, clutching the edge of my table.
“Miss Danielle Wilton,” Professor Hamid called out. I got up to get my script.
He had this evil-ish look on his face as he handed over my script.
I stared at the paper in my trembling hands.
6/20.
My chest tightened, a slow, suffocating squeeze that made it hard to breathe. I blinked once, hoping the number would change.
“Danielle Wilton, 6 out of 20,” he read out.
The whole class burst into a loud insensitive laughter.
Heat climbed my neck, burning through my ears.
“Your sister’s boyfriend may buy her a boutique,” Professor Hamid announced, turning to the entire room like he was performing, “but he cannot buy you a brain.”
Laughter erupted.
My breath faltered. My vision blurred. My throat burned with humiliation.
“I… I tried,” I whispered.
He waved me off. “Try harder. Or better yet, choose a course more… suited to your capabilities.”
I couldn’t stay here, not for another second. If I did, I’d crumble in front of everyone.
So I ran.
I pushed through the lecture hall doors, ignoring the startled gasps, and raced down the hallway until I found an empty courtyard behind the library. I collapsed on the stone bench, hugging my bag to my chest. The tears came instantly, fast and hot.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. I just cried.
Why was I failing?
Why couldn’t I be smart like everyone else?
Why couldn’t I be… enough?
I covered my face, sobbing harder.
“Danielle?”
I ignored the voice and continued crying, I didn't feel like getting consoled by anyone.
“Hey Rookie,” he patted my back slowly.
My head snapped up.
Liam.
He stood a few steps away, breathless, worry etched across his face as if he’d sprinted the moment he heard.
He approached slowly, like he didn’t want to scare me. “Hey… what happened?”
I tried to wipe my face, but the tears wouldn’t stop. “I got… six,” I choked. “Out of twenty. And he… he humiliated me. In front of everyone.”
He smiled. I saw his lip widened into a smile a small chuckle came out.
He sat beside me, close enough that our shoulders brushed.
Then, so gently it made my chest ache, he cupped my chin and tilted my face up.
“Look at me.”
I did, because my body responded to him even when my brain was shutting down.
His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek. “Danielle… a score doesn’t define you.”
I sniffed. “He said I wasn’t smart enough. That I should pick another course. He said…”
“Oh, I heard what he said.” His eyes darkened. “He’s a bitter man with an inflated ego. Not a god.”
A short, broken sob escaped me. “I studied, Liam. I really did.”
“I know,” he murmured. “And I’m proud of you for trying.”
More tears fell. “But six…”
“You know what I once scored?” he interrupted softly, giving me a crooked smile.
I blinked. “…What?”
“Two.”
My mouth fell open. “You’re lying.”
He chuckled. “Two out of twenty. And in that same course, I finished the semester with an A.”
I frowned. “How?”
“Effort. Persistence. Fixing what I didn’t understand. And…” He tapped lightly where my heart was beating beneath my shirt. “Not giving up on myself.”
I swallowed. My throat felt raw. “But I feel like giving up.”
“I know,” he said quietly. “That’s why I’m here.”
My breath hitched at the softness in his voice.
He leaned closer, brushing away another tear. “Don’t underestimate yourself, Rookie.”
My chest fluttered.
“You’re talented,” he continued. “You’re hardworking. You’re kind. You’re thoughtful. And whether you see your worth or not…” His voice dropped. “I do.”
Those words cracked me open completely.
Before I could think, I burst into tears again, ugly sobs I had no control over.
Liam didn’t flinch. He didn’t stiffen. He didn’t pull away.
He pulled me into him.
I sank into his arms as if they were the only warm thing in the entire world. He wrapped them around me, holding me so tightly it felt like he was keeping me from shattering.
And maybe he was.
My face pressed against his chest, and his hand stroked my hair, slow and steady. His heartbeat thudded against my ear, grounding me.
“I’m here,” he whispered. “I’m not going anywhere.”
His words sank deep, wrapping around the bruised parts of me like a balm.
I didn’t know how long we stayed like that for Minutes? Ten? Longer?
All I knew was that when he finally loosened his hold, my breathing had steadied and his shirt was soaked with tears.
He didn’t complain.
He just smiled softly, wiped beneath my eyes, and whispered, “Let me walk you home.”
And I nodded, because saying no felt impossible.
Later that night, I lay in bed.
My face washed, hair damp, the room dim except for the yellow bedside lamp. The day had drained every ounce of energy from me.
But I felt… calmer.
Though my eyes had swollen up.
“You're talented, you're thoughtful…,”
I thought about Liam’s words.
My phone rang, dragging me out of my mini world.
I frowned, reaching for it lazily.
When I saw the caller ID, my blood froze.
Mother.
My fingers trembled so badly I almost dropped the device.
No.
Not her.
Dread knotted in my stomach as I pressed “answer.”
“H-Hello?”
Her cold voice slithered through the speaker. “Danielle?”
Instant goosebumps erupted across my arms.
Could today get any worse?
“You have forgotten about your father and me,” she snapped.
I swallowed hard, sitting up straight. My heart pounded painfully. “What do you want?”
“What I want,” she hissed, “is for you to remember where you come from.”
“I do,” I said quietly. “That’s exactly why I left.”
She scoffed. “Your tongue has grown sharp, I see.”
Tears prickled my eyes, but I held them back. “You both are dead to me.”
She didn't respond at first, as if what I said to her had some effect.
Then her voice dropped into the tone I feared the most; low, dangerous, laced with threat.
“Wherever you ran to…” she whispered. “I will find you.”
A shiver snapped down my spine.
“You belong to this family. And you will come home.”
My stomach dropped so hard I felt nauseous.
“Never,” I breathed.
“We will see,” she said, and hung up.
The call ended, but her voice echoed in my skull like a nightmare refusing to fade.
I curled my knees to my chest, shaking.
Should I let Becca know about this?...