Chapter 71 The witnesses
Lila tried her best to keep her face neutral. But her pulse was racing, and her hands kept shaking no matter how tightly she held them together.
She didn’t know how to hide the fear creeping up her spine. Not from Mara.
Not from the world outside this cold police station.
Mara noticed immediately.
Her sharp gaze flickered over Lila’s face. “You look pale. Is everything alright?”
Lila forced a small smile. “I’m fine. Just school stuff.” Her voice came out lighter than she felt.
Mara didn’t seem convinced. She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. “School stuff makes most students stressed, not terrified.”
“I’m not terrified,” Lila lied quickly. “Really. I just should get back.”
She took a step backward, eager to escape before Mara could ask more questions. Before she accidentally let something slip. Before she fell apart in front of this woman who seemed to see straight through skin and bone.
“Goodbye, Detective Mara,” Lila added softly.
She turned, ready to head toward the exit.
But the main doors swung open, and three boys walked in: Damian’s friends, Theo, Miles, and Aaron. The group that always sat with Damian at lunch, the boys who joked loudly about soccer and dragged Damian into their debates about music.
They stopped dead when they saw her.
“Lila,” Aaron greeted gently.
Theo gave her a faint smile. “Are you alright?”
Lila nodded, though her throat was tight. “I’m okay.”
Mara stepped forward. “You boys here to make your statements?”
Miles nodded. “Yes, Detective.”
The boys greeted Mara respectfully and then glanced at Lila again, concern in their eyes.
“You don’t have to stay,” Theo said quietly.
“I know.” Lila swallowed. “Good luck.”
She slipped past them, weaving through the police station and stepping out into the parking lot. The cold air hit her instantly, and she sucked in a shaky breath. She didn’t wait, she practically fled the building and didn’t slow down until she reached the sidewalk.
Inside, she heard faint voices, Damian's friends speaking to Mara.
They would tell the truth. They had to.
She clung to that thought like a lifeline.
While Lila walked back toward campus, Detective Mara led the boys into an interview room.
Theo spoke first.
“We were with him,” he said, hands clasped nervously on the table. “He was in our dorm the entire night after the party.”
Miles nodded firmly. “He never left. He was exhausted. We all crashed in the common room watching a late match on TV.”
Aaron added, “And he woke up on the couch. We were all there. If he left, we would’ve seen it.”
Their voices wavered, but none of them hesitated. They weren’t covering for him.
They genuinely believed what they said.
Mara listened quietly, fingers tapping against a pen. She didn’t look convinced but she didn’t dismiss them either.
When the testimonies were compared with dorm camera logs and hallway motion detectors, everything lined up.
Damian had not left the building.
Not once.
Two days later, after hours of paperwork, verification, and the grudging approval of a judge, Damian was released from holding.
But his return to campus was nothing like freedom.
Students stared as he walked across the courtyard. Some whispered that he was dangerous. Others avoided his eye entirely.
Even though he was proven innocent in Tessa’s murder, no one wanted to hear it.
Some wounds didn’t need evidence to stay open. Some rumors didn’t need truth to thrive.
Lila watched it all from behind a tree near the library steps. She didn’t approach him that day. He didn’t see her.
Part of her felt like she’d already lost him.
One Week Later.
Damian’s parents arrived on a quiet Sunday morning, both dressed in black coats, sunglasses hiding their exhaustion.
They didn’t blame Damian. They blamed the campus. The scandal. The fear.
And they made their decision quickly to get him out. Away from the eyes. Away from the whispers. Away from danger.
Lila only found out because Damian texted her.
“Can you come to the airport? Please?”
She didn’t think about it. She just dressed and went to the airport.
The airport was cold, the polished floor reflecting every blurry figure. The scent of coffee, jet fuel, and winter coats filled the air.
Damian stood near the boarding gate, hands in his pockets, eyes tired in a way that made him seem older than he really was. His parents were busy at the counter, checking documents.
When he saw Lila, something inside him eased just a little.
“Hey,” he said softly.
Lila swallowed the lump rising in her throat. “You’re leaving.”
“Not forever.” His smile was strained. “Just until things settle. Just a break.”
He reached out hesitantly, as if unsure he was allowed to touch her, then pulled her into a hug.
Lila stiffened for a moment then melted into it. His arms wrapped around her shoulders, warm and tight. For a second, the noise of the airport faded away.
For a second, she felt safe.
“I’m sorry,” Damian whispered near her ear. “I’m sorry you were dragged into this. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you out of it.”
Lila shook her head against his chest.
“You didn’t drag me into anything,” she said quietly. “None of this is your fault.”
He pulled back, cupping her face lightly in both hands, not romantically, but protectively, like he wished he could shield her from everything.
“Be careful, Lila,” he said, voice suddenly trembling. “The killer, he’s still out there. And you’re still his target.”
Her breath hitched. She didn’t want to hear that. Not from him. Not now.
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered, though she didn’t believe it.
He laughed softly, painfully. “You always say that.”
“I mean it.”
“No.” His thumb brushed her cheekbone. “You’re brave. But bravery won’t stop someone like him.”
She looked away, blinking fast. Her eyes were burning.
“Damian, you’ll come back, right?”
He exhaled shakily. “I’ll try. I want to.”
His parents called him then, waving him forward.
Damian’s hands dropped from her face. He stepped back, eyes lingering on hers with a kind of sorrow she didn’t want to name.
“Goodbye, Lila.”
She tried to smile. “See you later.”
He nodded once, turned around, and walked toward the boarding hall. His parents flanked him, carrying his bags, their movements stiff and protective.
Lila stood there long after his figure disappeared behind the security gate.
Her heart felt heavier than the suitcase he’d rolled behind him.
She didn’t move. She didn’t breathe.
She just stared at the hallway where he vanished.
A part of her whispered that this wasn’t the end.
A darker part whispered it might be.
Her phone buzzed in her hand.
She didn’t even look at the caller ID, she just swiped to open the message.
From an unknown number. The text on the screen read
“I love you, Lila. I really love you, my red-haired darling.”
The noisy airport fell silent around her. Her heart froze. Her fingers went numb.
Because the killer was still following her.