Chapter 18 Sophia had no idea danger was coming . She leisurely listened to music . When she saw Jaxon burst through her door , her face lit up : " Jaxon ? What are you doing here ? Did you bring me another present ? " ] ] " Explain this . " Jaxon threw the printed surveillance photos in front of her , his voice cold as ice . [ ] Sophia's smile froze . She glanced down at the photos , her face instantly going white : " This … this is fake ! Someone's trying to frame me … " 0 " The staff saw it with their own eyes . " Jaxon grabbed her chin and forced her to look up , " You think I'm FUCKING STUPID ?! " ] ] Sophia's tears immediately started flowing : " I was just so in love with you … I was scared of losing you … " ] She stumbled forward and grabbed Jaxon's sleeve , " That bookworm had no right to steal you from me ! She - " [ ] " SHUT UP ! " Jaxon violently shoved her away , his chest heaving with rage , " Do you have any idea she had a 102 - degree fever ? Do you know she was cuffed up all night ? " Sophia collapsed on the floor , looking nothing like her usual polished self - disheveled and wild like a madwoman . ] ] She'd never seen such terrifying fury in Jaxon's eyes , like he might strangle her at any second . [ ] " Jaxon … " she trembled as she reached for his hand , " I was wrong , I'll never- " ] " We're done . " Jaxon stepped back , his voice filled with unprecedented disgust , " Don't ever show your face around me again . " ] Then the door slammed shut with a deafening BANG , and Sophia collapsed on the floor , screaming and crying , but he never looked back . At the Italian place off Harvard's campus , the pasta sauce was bubbling away in the pan . ]] Ethan served some perfectly cooked calamari onto Riley's plate , casually bringing up : " Riley , there's something I want to tell you . " " Mm ? " Riley looked up , and saw Ethan's ears turning slightly red . ] " I like you . " Ethan looked directly into her eyes , " Not as a classmate or friend kind of like . " Her fork clattered onto the table . ] Riley's lashes fluttered , her heart racing out of control . [ ] Over these months , Ethan's gentle care had slowly melted her defenses , but … ] " I'm really happy you said that , and I have feelings for you too , " she said softly , " but I need a little more time … to forget the hurt from before . " Ethan nodded seriously , patiently listening to her words . [ ] " Jaxon and I … " Riley took a deep breath and told him the whole ugly story for the first time- ' d used her for practice , how he'd constantly ditch her for nce . " Sophia , how he'd told his friends he was only with her to " get nd , her voice was choking : " I was such an idiot , thinking he actually cared about me … " ] rs hines splashed onto her hands . [ ] top of her head , his voice tender but firm : t second , she was pulled into a warm embrace . Ethan's chin rested gently on asn't your fault . " ] imple words made Riley completely break down . [ ] at nearby tables started looking over , but Ethan only pulled her closer , whispering : " It's okay to cry . I've got you . " ched Ethan's shirt and cried like તે child . ( 0 )