Chapter 183

Chapter 183
Steven's POV

Days went on and on.

Today I leaned back in my leather chair, staring at the vacation approval form on my desk. The name at the top made me smile: Rainey Ellis.

Two years. It had been two whole fucking years since that girl from Beacon Hills walked into my office with a spine made of steel.

Today was her twentieth birthday.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes, memories flooding back. That first day—when she answered my questions, there was this fire underneath all that fear.

I remembered telling her: "Rainey, resilience is your strength, but the courtroom doesn't need silent lambs."

She'd just nodded, those big eyes soaking up every word like she was dying of thirst.

And then she'd exploded.

Half a month. That's all it took. Half a month of brutal training, and she won the campus mock trial competition. Demolished the competition with logic so tight it was fucking beautiful. I'd never seen anything like it.

After that, I couldn't stop pushing her. Campus competitions, Ivy League invitationals, nationals—she crushed them all.

But here's the thing that still gets me: in the courtroom, she was a completely different person. Sharp. Aggressive. Deadly. She'd tear apart opposing arguments with surgical precision, her voice clear and commanding, every word a calculated strike.

Then the moment it was over? She'd shrink back into herself. Quiet little Rainey, standing on that podium with her trophy, scanning the crowd until she found him.

Sunny fucking Hayes.

Always in the back, wearing that dark hoodie like he was trying to disappear. But his eyes never left her. And when she found him, her whole face would light up with this smile—dimple showing, just for him.

Every. Single. Time.

I thought back to the nationals last spring. Rainey had just delivered a closing argument that made half the judges' jaws drop. I was sitting next to Sunny in the audience, both of us watching her own the stage.

"This kid is something else," I'd muttered to him, leaning closer. "She finished her undergrad in two years, Sunny. Two years. And she's already halfway through our master's program. Self-taught. Her thesis made some of our doctoral students look like amateurs."

Sunny's mouth twitched—not quite a smile, but close. He was slouched in his seat, looking bored as hell, but I could see the pride radiating off him.

"Of course," he said, voice dripping with smugness. "Look who she's with."

I actually laughed at that. "You know, I was expecting you to storm into my office months ago. The training schedule I gave her—I basically worked her to death. I thought for sure you'd tell me to back off."

He turned to look at me then, one eyebrow raised. "Professor, you underestimate her. That 'brutal' schedule you're so proud of? She finished it in five days and added three extra Supreme Court case analyses. You should've seen your face when she turned it in."

Shit. He was right. I had been shocked.

"Yeah," I admitted. "Her foundation was stronger than any student I've ever taught."

But it wasn't just academics. Watching Sunny with Rainey over these two years had been... interesting.

The guy was literally her shadow. Wherever Rainey studied—library, coffee shop, empty classroom—Sunny would materialize nearby. Headphones on, laptop open, pretending to work. But his attention was always on her.

"So what about you?" I'd asked him that day at nationals. "You've finished all your coursework. What's next?"

Sunny's eyes stayed locked on Rainey as she shook hands with the judges. "My girl wants to fly higher," he said quietly. "She wants to see what's out there. My job isn't to control her or hold her back." He paused. "My job is to be someone she can always come home to. A safe harbor, not a cage."

Then he'd shrugged, that cocky grin flashing. "Besides, I can't let people say I'm just her trophy boyfriend, right? That would be embarrassing as hell."

I'd snorted at that. But I got it.

---

After the awards ceremony, I watched Sunny cut through the crowd with a bouquet of white roses. He walked right up to the stage, ignoring everyone else, and pulled Rainey into his arms.

It had become their thing. Every competition, win or lose—flowers and a hug.

The internet had noticed, too. They were kind of famous now. "The Genius and His Girl" or whatever the hell people were calling them. Sunny had just defended his doctoral dissertation in finance, started some investment firm. Meanwhile, Rainey was diving deep into international law.

Two ambitious kids building toward something together.

It was almost disgustingly sweet.

---

Rainey's POV

I stared at my phone screen for the millionth time.

Still nothing.

"The person you are calling is not available. Please leave a message after the tone..."

I hit end call and immediately dialed again. Same result.

Where the fuck is he?

Sunny had promised. He'd promised today would be ours. I finally had a whole month off—one month of freedom after two years of non-stop grinding—and he was supposed to be here. We were supposed to spend the day together. My birthday. Our day.

But he'd vanished.

No calls. No texts. Just... gone.

The anxiety crawling up my spine was making it hard to breathe. My hands shook as I tried calling again.

"Rainey." Ava's voice cut through my panic. She reached over and gently took my phone, pressing the end button. "Stop. He's probably just busy. You know he's just starting his business. Or his phone died. Come on, let's go out—call Lily and Chloe. We'll take you to that Italian place you've been wanting to try."

I shook my head, reaching for my phone. "No. He promised, Amy. He said today was mine."

My voice cracked on the last word.

Ava's face softened with sympathy. She knew. Everyone knew how rare it was for Sunny to break a promise to me.

I pulled up WhatsApp, fingers flying across the screen: Sunny, where are you? Please answer me. I'm worried.

One gray check mark. Message sent but not delivered.

"Fuck," I whispered.

Amy sighed and disappeared into her room. A minute later, she came back with an armful of makeup. "Okay, fine. If you're going to sit here and wait, at least let me make you look good. What if he shows up with 999 roses or something? You can't meet him looking like this."

She gestured at my face—probably red and puffy from stress.

"Come on, birthday girl. Sit."

I let her push me into a chair, but my eyes stayed glued to my phone.

Sunny, what are you doing right now?

The screen stayed dark.

And the wait stretched on.