Chapter 85 Confrontation
Luna’s POV
I didn’t expect it to happen this soon. But of course…It did.
The next morning felt too normal and too quiet. Like the world was holding its breath.
I walked into school with Kai beside me, and our shoulders touching occasionally…but not by accident, not really…but neither of us said anything about it.
Because we didn’t need to. After yesterday…Silence felt safer than words. But my eyes kept scanning, looking, and waiting. And then….I saw him.
Ethan stood by the lockers across the hall. Like nothing had happened and like yesterday didn’t exist. My chest tightened instantly, because there was no visible difference. No sign of guilt and no hesitation. He was just… there.
Talking to someone, he looked calm, composed, and normal. Too normal.
Kai felt it the second I tensed.
“That’s him,” he said quietly.
“Yeah,” I replied.
His gaze sharpened. “Want me to stay?”
I hesitated. Then nodded. “Close. But… let me talk first.”
His jaw tightened slightly. “I won’t interfere. Unless I need to.”
“That’s fair.” I took a breath and then another. And walked toward Ethan.
Every step felt heavier than it should. Like I was walking into something I couldn’t undo. He noticed me halfway there and his conversation cut off instantly. His eyes locked onto mine. And for just a second….Something flickered, it was recognition, but it was not soft and not warm. Just… aware.
“Hey,” he said as I stopped in front of him.
Like this was any other day or as if nothing had changed. “Can we talk?” I asked.
His lips curved slightly. “Sure.” Then he turned to the guy he’d been talking to.
“Later.”
The guy nodded quickly and walked off, throwing one last curious glance over his shoulder. Now it was just us.
Kai lingered a few steps behind me. Close enough. He was watching.
Ethan noticed. Of course he did. “Bodyguard?” he asked lightly.
I ignored that. “We need to talk about yesterday.”
His expression didn’t change. “Do we?”
“Yes,” I said.
A pause followed and then…
“Okay.” He said. That sounded too easy and too calm and that same unease crawled back under my skin.
“You crossed a line,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “You grabbed me. You didn’t let go when I told you to.”
Silence followed, as students moved around us, with their voices blending into background noise. But none of it mattered. Just him and just this.
“I remember,” he said finally.
No denial and no apology. Just… acknowledgment.
My stomach twisted. “Then say something.”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked.
“That it wasn’t okay,” I said.
He tilted his head slightly. “Fine,” he said. “It wasn’t okay.”
That sounded flat and empty. Like he was repeating something he didn’t believe. “That’s it?” I asked.
“What else do you want?” he cut in sharply.
“An explanation,” I snapped. “A real one.”
His eyes darkened slightly. “I told you yesterday. Things are changing.”
“That’s not an excuse,” I said.
“It’s not an excuse,” he agreed quietly. “It’s a fact.”
Something about the way he said it.. it felt calm and certain and that made my chest tighten again. “That wasn’t you,” I said. “Not completely.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “You keep telling yourself that.”
Anger flared in me. “I know you.”
“Do you?” he asked.
The question hit harder than it should. Because for the first time. .I wasn’t completely sure.
“You don’t get to act like that and pretend it’s normal,” I said.
“I’m not pretending.” He said.
“Then what are you doing?” I asked.
His gaze held mine unflinching. “I’m adapting.”
A chill ran down my spine. “To what?” I asked quietly.
“To the truth.” He said.
“That doesn’t mean hurting people,” I added.
His jaw shifted slightly. “I didn’t hurt you.”
“You didn’t stop,” I said.
That landed a flicker, it was small. But real and then…It disappeared.
“I stopped when you pushed me away,” he said.
“I shouldn’t have had to,” I said.
Silence again, but tighter now and more dangerous. Behind me, I felt Kai shift slightly, still holding back and still watching. Ethan noticed. Of course he did.
“This about him now?” he asked, his tone sharpening just a little.
“No,” I said firmly. “This is about you.”
“Is it?” he murmured. “Because everything changed when he showed up.”
“That’s not true,” I said.
“It is.” His voice dropped slightly, quieter and more intense. “You were fine before.”
“I wasn’t,” I snapped. “You just didn’t see it.”
That shut him up. For a second and then….“I saw more than you think.”
Something twisted in my chest. “Then you should’ve known better,” I said softly.
That hit harder than anything else I’d said. Because this time…He didn’t have an answer and his expression tightened slightly, but not with anger. Not fully. It was something else. It was a conflict. But it didn’t last. It never did.
“I’m not the problem here,” he said finally.
My breath caught. “Yes, you are.”
“No,” he said calmly. “I’m the only one being honest.”
“About what?” I asked.
“About what you are.” He replied.
The words landed heavy ans wrong.
“You don’t get to define that,” I said.
“I don’t have to.” His eyes flicked briefly to Kai. Then back to me. “Neither does he.”
Before I could respond…Kai stepped forward.
“That’s enough,” he said.
His voice was low and controlled. But there was no mistaking the warning in it.
Ethan smiled faintly. “There he is.”
“Back off,” Kai added.
“Or what?” Ethan asked with a smirk.
The tension snapped tighter instantly. “Or we stop talking,” Kai said. “And I handle this differently.”
Ethan’s gaze sharpened. “You think I’m scared of you?”
“No,” Kai said calmly. “I think you’re not thinking clearly.”
That landed and for a second…Something dark flickered behind Ethan’s eyes again. That same wrongness from yesterday, but stronger now. I felt it. It was sharp and pulling. My chest tightened. “Ethan,” I said quickly.
His gaze snapped back to me. And for a split second…He looked… distant. Like he wasn’t fully there and then…It was gone.
Replaced with that same calm mask. “I said what I needed to say,” he murmured.
“No,” I said. “You didn’t.”
But he was already stepping back and creating distance. Like yesterday, and like none of this mattered. “We’re not done,” I added.
His lips curved slightly. “I know.”
The way he said it…it wasn’t relief, wasn’t regret. It was a promise and then he turned. And walked away. Again. Leaving that same heavy silence behind him.
I exhaled slowly, and my hands clenched at my sides. “He’s getting worse,” I whispered.
Kai didn’t argue. “Yeah,” he said quietly.
“And whatever’s inside him…” My chest tightened. “It’s not done.”
Kai’s gaze stayed fixed on where Ethan disappeared. “Neither are we.”
I looked at him and he met my eyes steadily and with certainty. And for the first time since this started….I realized something, that this wasn’t just about stopping Ethan anymore.
It was about surviving what he was becoming. And next time…
He might not stop.