Chapter 10: Echoes in the Hall

Chapter 10: Echoes in the Hall


Tessa’s POV

“Mother told me about it,” Bella said gently as she sat beside me on the bed.

I gave her a small smile before she pulled me into a warm hug.

“If there’s anything you want to know, just ask me, okay?” she added, shaking my hands playfully.

“Who is Elena?” I asked, almost cutting her off.

She blinked, caught off guard. “Uhmm… cold on the outside, honestly—though not to me,” she said, rolling her eyes with a soft laugh. 

“You were engaged to Adrian.”

“Okaayyy…” I replied slowly, trying to piece things together.

“But you never loved him. In fact, you detested Adrian, Elena, although it was mutual. You only had feelings for Zane, but you hid it, because he flirted with too many girls in school.”

I frowned slightly as she continued.

“Hours before the accident, you called me that you were on your way to my house, angry that your mom set up an official date with Adrian.”

She hesitated.

“And…?” I prompted.

“And something happened at school before all this,” she said quietly.

“What happened?” I asked with a curious face.

Bella cleared her throat like she was preparing to say something big, but she hesitated again.

“Don’t worry, El. Just forget it for now.”

She stood up quickly. “Let’s go swim downstairs. I brought my trunk.”

“I don’t think I know how to swim,” I said quietly.

“You love swimming, El!” she exclaimed. “Come on.”

We headed downstairs, and I turned to Ma’am Julia.

“Excuse me, do you know where Elena’s trunk suite is?”

They both looked at me strangely.

“Oh—I mean my trunk suite.”

“Okay, Miss. I’ll bring it down to the pool immediately.”

“Thank you.”

As I walked beside her, she nudged me.

“You never say ‘thank you’ El, I am surprised by the new change of attitude” she said chuckling..

“Oh,” I replied, unsure how else to respond.



It was Monday morning. Ma’am Julia had laid out Elena’s uniform and told me to get dressed before breakfast. I did as she said, pulling on the polished blazer and short skirt, then tiptoed down the house with a smile. I wanted to surprise Elena’s parents with a hug.

But just as I neared their door, I heard his voice on the phone.

“We know the engagement isn’t off, Mr. Beaumont. That’s all we can do for now, we don’t want to hurt her.”

I stood still.

The door swung open. Elena’s mom stood there, her face became stiff with surprise when she saw me.

I had overheard too much.

I turned without a word and headed for the dining room. They followed quietly.

As we sat down, Elena’s dad reached for my hand.

“Elena, we're only trying to protect your future. We don’t want you marrying some riffraff.”

Elena’s mother busied herself with her food, clearly unsure of what to say.

I nodded and sipped my drink, but my thoughts drifted.

So the dinner—calling off the engagement—was all a lie? They didn’t plan to end anything. They were still pulling strings, just pretending because of the accident.

Was this how the wealthy lived? Maybe Elena lived with more pressure than anyone ever saw online. 



The car pulled up to the front of the school.

As I stepped out, I was struck again by how vast and beautiful Westbridge Academy really was. The grass was trimmed so neatly, and the towering glass buildings reflected the sky like mirrors. Fountains flowed gently beside the curved walkways, and even the breeze smelled expensive.

Another luxury car pulled up behind us.

Bella hopped out. “Welcome back to school, El,” she said, linking her arm through mine.

I wasn’t used to being noticed. In my old life, I could walk past a hundred people and not one would remember my face. But here, just stepping out of the car made them turn their heads. Everyone stared, and their stares made me a bit uncomfortable.

“Let’s go,” Bella whispered, and we walked together.

Then I heard the low hum of more engines.

Three cars.

“The first is Adrian,” Bella said. “Then Kade and Lucien.”

Adrian stepped out, tall and impossibly handsome in his perfectly fitted uniform. Even the way he moved was intimidating. My heart skipped, this was the third time I’d seen him, but I still wasn’t used to how real he looked.

I turned to Bella quickly. “Let’s go.”

She gave me a knowing look. One of those oh, Elena must be back to her old self kind of glances.

If Elena really hated Adrian, then I had to pretend I did too—at least until she came back.



Class was filled with stares and whispers. Everyone smiled at me with little waves here and there.

At lunch, I sat down with Bella and the guy he came to the hospital with. I kept looking around, still in disbelief that a school could look like this.

“So, to continue from where I stopped in the morning,” Bella said, adjusting her dress.

The guy beside her was watching her in admiration.

“Are you two dating?” I asked suddenly.

“Who? Emris?” she replied, glancing over her shoulder. “Nooo,” she scoffed, rolling her eyes.

Emris chuckled quietly.

“Hey,” a voice interrupted.

Zane.

He approached the table, his silver cross earring dangling.

“Oh, hi Zane,” I said softly.

“Can I take you to dinner later?” he asked. “I want to apologize properly.”

“You don’t have to,” I replied. “It’s fine.”

“I’ll pick you up after school,” he said with a little grin, then turned and walked off.

Bella smirked. “So, as I was saying—Adrian’s grandfather owns this school. And—”

My phone buzzed.

Unknown Number: I know you killed her.

My fingers froze.

I looked round the hall, as my heart raced.

“What’s wrong, El?” Emris asked, looking concerned.

I showed them the message.

And their expressions became serious. 

Bella exhaled gently. “Not again.”

“Not again what?” I asked with a shaky voice.

“There’s something I need to tell you, El…”

Her voice trailed off.

And just like that, my stomach sank.