Chapter 66 Not Even In My Wildest Dreams
Mia's POV
I was still stunned. I had not moved. I could barely breathe.
Josh's fist hit Liam's jaw so hard that the sound echoed through the courtyard. But what shocked me more was not the punch. It was Liam.
He actually smiled after the punch, like he was glad it happened. As if the pain was easier to handle than his feelings for me. Like he would rather get hurt than admit that he cared.
My chest ached.
Then Stacy was there in an instant. She was flawless, composed, possessive. She rushed to Liam's side without hesitation, touching his face gently like she owned him, like she belonged with him.
I wanted to hug Josh and thank him, maybe even kiss him. Because for a moment, someone finally defended me. But I did not want to be the center of attention again, not when the entire school had probably seen everything.
I did not want to hear Liam say I was not his girlfriend. That there was nothing going on. Or worse, that everything was just my imagination.
That I had made it all up. So I slipped away. I left the parking lot while Stacy was yelling and Josh was fuming. I ran down the hallway until I reached the restroom. I shut the door behind me, locked it, and finally exhaled.
I stood in front of the mirror and stared at myself. Same dark eyes. Same tired expression. Same girl who had nothing left but her pride.
But something was different now. As I looked at my reflection, I realized I did not belong here.
Not in this school. Not in Liam's world. Not in a place where people wore their last names like crowns and looked at girls like me as if we were invisible, or worse, disposable.
I pressed my palm flat against the cold sink and whispered to my reflection, "I'm okay. I'm fine. I just need to fix my hair and pretend nothing happened."
A knock came from the door.
"Mia? It's me." I recognized Daniel's voice instantly.
I hesitated, then unlocked the door and stepped out.
"Good morning," I said with a fake smile.
"You don't need to come and rescue me, Dan," I added.
He only smiled and gently placed his arm around my shoulder.
"You're not someone who needs saving," he replied softly. "I just wanted to be beside you this morning."
It was like he hadn't seen what happened in the parking lot at all. He gave me a quiet look of concern but said nothing. He just walked beside me as we headed back to class together. It was easier that way.
But the moment we entered the room, the atmosphere changed. Everything stopped. The room fell silent, every head turning to look at me.
My heart thundered in my chest.
Then Stacy stood.
Her heels clicked against the floor as she walked across the room like a queen approaching a challenger. Her eyes were sharp with fury, her lips curled in disgust.
"Is it true?" she demanded. "Are you really Liam's girlfriend?"
I blinked.
"Chloe told me," Stacy added, her voice rising. "So? Is it true?"
I could feel the tension, the judgment, and the trap.
I could tell Stacy was ready to humiliate me in front of everyone, and I was not about to give her the satisfaction.
I lifted my chin and took a slow breath.
"No," I said calmly. "Liam was never my boyfriend."
The words tasted bitter on my tongue, but I said them anyway.
"You do not need to worry."
"You're beautiful, Stacy. You're everything people admire. You're an heiress. So why would Liam ever choose someone like me?" I continued.
“I know my place in this world. I’m nothing. And I have no intention of becoming a laughingstock just because I was stupid enough to believe otherwise,” I added, not giving her a chance to speak.
"I just played along with Liam's little game," I said, smiling slightly. "He wanted the girls here to believe he was with someone to keep them away, for your sake. It was never about me. Do not believe anything your friends told you."
I turned slightly, my eyes meeting Stacy's.
"I was just helping Liam."
Then I couldn't stop myself anymore. I was tired of being bullied and laughed at.
"And one more thing," I said, my voice calm and steady, almost too practiced. "I have only ever loved one boy in my life."
I turned to Daniel and smiled as I slipped my hand into his.
"And I guess it's time everyone knows that Daniel has always been the one. He has been faithful all these years. And I'm proud to say he's my boyfriend."
The class gasped.
Belle, who had been sitting two seats behind Daniel, turned pale.
And me? I held my head high and smiled as if I was not breaking inside. Because sometimes, when your heart is in ruins, the only thing left to do is burn the whole story down.
"Oh, that's good. Because if you really think you can be Liam's girlfriend," Stacy said mockingly, tilting her head with that rehearsed smirk of hers, "it would be too painful for you."
"Don't worry. Not even in my wildest dreams," I said. "Besides, I would never like someone like Liam anyway. No offense, but he's not my type, Stacy."
Those words were lies, but I could not stand there and admit in front of the whole class that he shattered my heart into a million pieces.
She tossed her hair back with a quiet scoff, then turned toward the door where Liam stood frozen.
I didn't know he was there. I had no idea he heard everything. But it didn't matter what I said anyway.
Stacy was his fiancée. I could never change that.
Liam's face turned dark. I did not understand why he looked hurt after hearing what I said. He was the one who ended things with me last night, and he only did it through a text message.
"There you are, babe," Stacy said sweetly.
And that one word, babe, landed like a dagger straight into my heart.
Daniel did not say anything. He just squeezed my hand, tight, steady, silent, and led me to our seats like it was nothing. Like we did this every day. Like we were everything I had just said we were.
"I'm sorry, Daniel," I whispered, my voice barely louder than the echo of the last footsteps leaving the classroom. My eyes stayed on the floor, too heavy with guilt to meet his.
Daniel looked at me for a long moment, then smiled. It was soft and patient, the kind of smile that did not ask for anything in return.
"Hey," he said gently as he stepped closer. "You don't have to apologize, Mia. If pretending to be your boyfriend helps you breathe a little easier, then use me. I'll play the role as long as you need me to."
I lifted my gaze, my eyes shimmering. "Daniel..."
"I meant what I said before," he continued, his voice tender but honest. "I've always wanted to be your boyfriend. You know that. But I also know your heart was never mine. It's been his all along. Liam."
My lips trembled. "I never wanted to hurt you."
"I know," he said, reaching up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "You never did. Don't feel guilty, okay? Just... don't shut me out again."
My throat tightened at the warmth of his touch, at the way he smiled like my presence was enough to mend whatever cracked inside him. "You deserve more, Daniel. You deserve someone who looks at you the way I..."
"I hope," he cut in softly, "that someday, you'll look at me the way you used to look at him. But until then, being by your side, being your friend again, spending time with you... Mia, that's what I want. That's more than enough for me."
And in that moment, something in my heart ached. Not from guilt, but from the quiet, steady kind of love that did not demand or push. The kind that stayed.
I nodded, and for the first time in days, I smiled.