Chapter 32 The Calm Before She Strikes
Something was wrong.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
But wrong enough that I felt it the second I walked into school.
Lilibeth wasn’t there.
That alone should have been a relief.
But it wasn’t.
Because Lilibeth never disappears.
She watches.
She waits.
She plans.
“Okay, that’s weird,” Tessa muttered beside me, glancing around the hallway. “She’s always glued to Kylen by now.”
I didn’t respond.
Because my eyes were already on him.
Kylen stood by his locker, but he wasn’t leaning, wasn’t relaxed.
He looked… off.
Restless.
Like something was bothering him more than he was willing to show.
And for the first time in days…
He was alone.
That should have made this easier.
It didn’t.
Because now there was no distraction.
No excuse.
No one to hide behind.
Just him.
And me.
I walked toward him slowly, my heartbeat picking up with every step.
He noticed immediately.
Of course he did.
His head lifted.
Eyes locking onto mine.
And this time…
He didn’t look away.
“Lenora.”
My name sounded different on his lips now.
Rougher.
Heavier.
“Kylen.”
Silence stretched between us.
Not awkward.
Not empty.
Just… full.
“You didn’t come yesterday,” he said.
I blinked.
“That’s what you noticed?”
His jaw tightened.
“I notice everything about you.”
That hit harder than I expected.
I crossed my arms slightly, steadying myself.
“Then you should’ve noticed what you were doing.”
There it was.
The truth.
He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
“I didn’t know how to handle it.”
I laughed softly.
“Handle it? Kylen, you ignored me. Then you let her act like I never existed.”
His eyes darkened.
“That’s not what happened.”
“Then what did?”
Silence again.
But this time…
It cracked.
“I thought I was protecting you.”
I froze.
“What?”
He stepped closer.
Not enough to touch.
But enough to feel.
“You don’t understand,” he said, voice low. “There are things you don’t know about her. About… everything.”
My chest tightened.
“What things?”
He hesitated.
And I knew.
Whatever it was…
It was big.
But before he could speak—
“Kylen.”
Her voice.
We both turned.
Lilibeth.
Standing at the end of the hallway.
Perfect. Calm.
Smiling.
And suddenly…
Everything made sense.
She hadn’t disappeared.
She had been waiting.
Her eyes landed on me first.
Then him.
Then back to me.
And that smile?
It wasn’t sweet.
It wasn’t smug.
It was dangerous.
“I’ve been looking for you,” she said softly.
But her tone…
It wasn’t casual.
Kylen’s body went tense instantly.
I felt it.
Saw it.
“What do you want?” he asked, sharper than usual.
Lilibeth stepped closer, slow, controlled.
“I think it’s time we stop pretending.”
My stomach dropped.
“Pretending what?” I asked.
Her eyes flicked to me.
And for the first time…
I saw something I had never seen before.
Not jealousy.
Not arrogance.
Fear.
“You really don’t know, do you?” she said quietly.
The hallway felt like it tilted.
“Know what?” I demanded.
Kylen moved slightly.
“Lilibeth, don’t.”
But she smiled wider.
Almost relieved.
“No,” she said. “I think she deserves to know.”
My heart started racing.
Fast. Hard.
Wrong.
“Know what?” I repeated.
She stepped closer.
Close enough that I could see it clearly now.
That crack in her mask.
“You think this is about jealousy?” she said softly.
“You think I’m just trying to take him from you?”
I didn’t answer.
Because suddenly…
I wasn’t sure anymore.
Her eyes held mine.
Sharp. Intent.
“This was never just about you.”
My chest tightened.
“Then what is it about?”
Silence.
One long, suffocating second.
Then—
“It’s about what happens when you find out who you really are.”
Everything inside me stopped.
“What does that mean?”
Kylen stepped forward this time.
“Stop it, Lilibeth.”
But she didn’t.
Because she had already dropped the bomb.
And now…
She was enjoying the fallout.
“You’ll figure it out soon,” she said lightly, stepping back.
“Very soon.”
Then she turned.
And walked away.
Just like that.
Leaving silence behind.
Leaving tension.
Leaving something far worse than jealousy.
The truth.
I turned slowly to Kylen.
My voice barely steady.
“What does she mean?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
And that hesitation?
It terrified me.
“Kylen,” I said again, softer this time.
His eyes met mine.
Conflicted.
Heavy.
Almost guilty.
“There are things about your family…” he started.
My heart dropped.
“…that you don’t know.”
And just like that—
The ground beneath me shifted.
Because this wasn’t just about love anymore.
It was about secrets.
And I had a feeling…
Everything was about to fall apart.