Chapter 236: She Knew Before I Did

POV: Silver Preston

I get back to my dorm room just before dinner. The rideshare driver tried to make small talk. I gave one-word answers until he gave up.

Americus is waiting. Sitting at her desk with three laptops open and an expression that says she has been busy.

"We need to talk," she says without preamble.

"Not now--"

"Yes now." She spins her chair around. "Because you're about to do something stupid and I need to stop you before you get yourself hurt."

I freeze.

"What are you talking about?"

"The text. The anonymous one inviting you to Koffee tomorrow." She holds up her phone. "Don't look surprised. I've been monitoring your messages since this whole thing started. And before you get mad about invasion of privacy, you can thank me later."

"You can't just--"

"I can and I did. Because someone needed to." She stands up. Her braids are twisted back and her expression is serious. "And good thing too, because I figured out who's been sending those texts."

My anger deflates slightly.

"Who?"

"Bianca Mitchelle."

The name hits like a punch. Bianca. One of the rival skaters. The one who had been circling Eli at parties. The one who spread half the rumors about Silver being washed up.

"Why would Bianca--"

"Because she's working with Carroway. Or was." Americus pulls up screenshots on one of her laptops. "I traced the anonymous number. Burner phone, but sloppy digital footprints. She bought it at a CVS in New Haven two weeks ago. Used her real credit card."

I move closer. Look at the receipt Americus has somehow obtained.

"But why? What does she gain from--"

"From destroying you? Everything." She clicks through more files. "Bianca's been trying to get corporate sponsorships since freshman year. Same sponsors you had before your injury. But they won't look at her while you're still technically in the picture. Even recovering from a knee injury, you're still Silver Preston. She's just Bianca Mitchelle, regional competitor."

"So she worked with Carroway to discredit me?"

"Not just worked with him. Bankrolled him." Americus pulls up bank records she definitely should not have access to. "Bianca's family has money. Lots of it. She paid Carroway five thousand dollars to create and spread those screenshots. To make it look like you were using Eli. To turn campus against you."

I feel sick.

"That's insane."

"That's competitive figure skating." Her expression is grim. "But here's where it gets interesting. Eli figured this out. Not all of it, but enough. That's what the Boston trip was really about."

"He said he paid Carroway--"

"He did. Forty-five thousand to make him go away. But it wasn't just about stopping the harassment." She pulls up more documents. Legal documents. "Eli hired a lawyer. A good one. They've been building a case against Bianca and anyone else involved in the defamation campaign. That's what he couldn't tell you. Not because he doesn't trust you, but because naming Bianca before they had solid proof would have opened you up to a lawsuit for slander."

I sit down heavily on my bed.

"He was protecting me from legal liability."

"And physical danger. Because Bianca's not just some jealous skater." Americus's voice is serious now. "Her family has connections. Real connections. The kind that can destroy careers and lives. Eli's cousin Marcus knows people who know the Mitchelle family. Apparently they don't take kindly to being accused of anything."

"So the meeting tomorrow--"

"Is a trap. Bianca wants to meet you alone so she can either threaten you directly or record you saying something she can use against you legally." She closes her laptops. "Eli didn't tell you because he was trying to handle it through proper channels. Build an airtight case. Protect you from becoming a target."

I feel my anger crumbling. Being replaced by something heavier. Guilt. Understanding.

"The bruised knuckles," I say quietly. "It wasn't just Carroway."

"Marcus told me some things." Americus's expression is uncomfortable. "Apparently when Carroway showed up in Boston to renegotiate, he brought backup. Friends of Bianca's family. They threatened Eli. Said if he pursued any legal action against Bianca, they'd make sure you never skated competitively again. That they'd destroy what was left of your reputation so thoroughly you wouldn't even be able to coach children."

"And Eli--"

"Fought back. With Marcus's help. Made it clear that threats wouldn't work. That he had evidence and lawyers and wasn't backing down." Her voice softens. "That's why he wouldn't tell you everything. Because the more you knew, the more danger you were in. If Bianca and her family thought you were involved in the legal case, they'd target you directly instead of just spreading rumors."

I put my head in my hands.

"I told him I was done. That I couldn't be with someone who didn't trust me."

"You didn't know."

"I should have trusted him. Should have believed he had a reason." I look up. "How did you find all this out?"

"Marcus called me. After you left Eli in that parking lot." She pulls out her phone. Shows me a call log. "He was worried Eli wouldn't tell you himself. Wouldn't explain properly because he's an idiot who thinks suffering in silence is noble. So Marcus gave me everything. The timeline. The evidence. The threats."

"Why would Marcus tell you?"

"Because he's seen what losing you is doing to Eli. And he figured someone needed to knock some sense into both of you before you destroyed each other completely." She sits next to me on the bed. "He also told me about Eli's dad. About how Eli blames himself for not being there. About how he's terrified of making the wrong choice again and losing someone else he loves."

I feel tears burning.

"He spent forty-five thousand dollars. His entire savings."

"Because you matter more than money."

"He got into a fight with dangerous people. Could have been seriously hurt."

"Because protecting you matters more than his safety."

"He's been building a legal case. Dealing with lawyers and evidence and threats. All while I was accusing him of lying."

"Because he loves you more than he loves himself." Americus squeezes my hand. "Which is beautiful and infuriating and exactly the kind of self-sacrificing nonsense that makes him both perfect and impossible."

I wipe my eyes.

"I messed up. I should have listened. Should have trusted him."

"You were scared. That's understandable." Her voice is gentle. "But now you know. Now you understand what he's been doing. What he's sacrificed. And you have to decide what you're going to do about it."

"I don't know what to do."

"Start by not going to that meeting tomorrow. Let Eli's lawyers handle Bianca." She pulls up another file. "They're close to having everything they need. Another week, maybe two, and they'll have enough to file formal charges. Defamation. Conspiracy. Maybe even fraud depending on how the screenshots were created."

"And then?"

"And then Bianca and Carroway both face consequences. Real ones. Legal ones. And you get your reputation back." Americus closes her laptop. "But only if you don't mess it up by walking into her trap tomorrow."

I nod slowly. Processing everything.

Eli spent his savings. Fought dangerous people. Hired lawyers. Built a case. All while I was doubting him. Accusing him of lying. Walking away when things got hard.

"I need to talk to him," I say.

"You need to think first." Her expression is serious. "Because this isn't just about apologizing. This is about deciding if you can handle being with someone who will always try to protect you. Even when it means keeping secrets. Even when it means you'll be angry at him."

"I don't want him to keep secrets."

"Then you need to tell him that. Make it clear that you'd rather face danger together than be protected alone." She stands up. "But you also need to understand that his instinct will always be to shield you. That's who he is. And if you can't accept that, then maybe you two aren't compatible."

I sit with that truth. With the weight of understanding someone fully and having to decide if you can love all of them, including the parts that drive you crazy.

My phone buzzes. Text from Eli.

Eli: I know you're probably not ready to talk. But I need you to know something. Don't go to that meeting tomorrow. It's not safe. Please trust me on this.

I stare at the message. He is still trying to protect me. Still trying to handle things alone.

But now I understand why.

Silver: Americus told me everything. About Bianca. About the legal case. About what happened in Boston.

The response comes immediately.

Eli: I was going to tell you. As soon as the lawyers said it was safe.

Silver: I know. I'm sorry I didn't trust you.

Eli: I'm sorry I gave you reasons not to.

Silver: Can we talk? Face to face?

Eli: Tomorrow? After the meeting time passes? Want to make sure you're not tempted to go.

Despite everything, I almost smile. Still protecting me. Still worrying.

Silver: Tomorrow. But Eli? No more secrets. Even dangerous ones. We face things together or not at all.

Eli: Deal. Together.

I set my phone down. Look at Americus.

"He agreed," I say quietly.

"Of course he did." She picks up her laptop again. "He'd agree to anything if it meant keeping you."

I look at her. At the three laptops. At the files and records and information she has gathered.

"Americus?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you. For knowing before I did."

She looks up. Something in her expression softens.

"That's what I'm here for." She turns back to her screen. "Now go to sleep. You have a lot to fix tomorrow."