Chapter 20 Jaxon stood under the plane tree outside Harvard's gates , clutching that handmade ring , his mind wandering . ] ] He'd been waiting in the cold wind for six solid hours , eyes glued to the academic building exit, terrified of missing that familiar figure . ] When Riley and Ethan walked out together , his heart clenched painfully . [ ] She wore a light sweater with her hair blowing in the wind , looking up at the guy beside her and saying something with a gentle smile on her lips . ] " Riley ! " ] Jaxon almost charged forward , but stopped just short of reaching her when Ethan stepped sideways to block him . Ethan's arm stretched between them , his gaze calm but determined : " What do you want ? " ] " Get out of my way ! " Jaxon shoved Ethan aside , but froze when he saw Riley instinctively step back . Her cold expression made it seem like they'd never even known each other . [ ] " Why are you here ? We already broke up , " Riley's voice was quiet but sharp as a blade , " I don't want to see you . " ] ] " I know I screwed up … " Jaxon frantically pulled out that handmade ring and slipped it on his own finger with shaking hands , " Look , I wear it every day … I'll treasure you from now on , make it up to you … " [ ] The ring caught the sunlight , but Riley only felt how pathetic it was . [ ] When she'd lovingly crafted these rings , Jaxon couldn't even be bothered to glance at them . Now he was using them as bargaining chips to win her back . ] " Jaxon , " she took a deep breath , " some damage can't be fixed with apologies . I don't want to blame you for anything anymore - let's just move on . " ] Ethan stepped forward and took her hand , their fingers interlocking . The moment Riley felt the warmth from his palm , she felt inexplicably at peace . [ ] Jaxon stood there watching the perfectly matched couple , feeling like something was blocking his throat - he couldn't make a sound . He suddenly remembered last winter when Riley had stood waiting for him in the snow until frost formed on her eyelashes . [ ] Karma sure came fast . ] The Georgia Southern University forum had a post titled #Campus Queen's True Colors pinned to the front page . The original poster had uploaded tons of chat logs and photos , detailing Sophia's years of bullying : [ ] Falsely accusing a deskmate of stealing in high school , causing the girl to become depressed and transfer schools . Bed Warmes ? Harvard Goddess ) His Pirasure My Payback ! 1149 Chapter 20 Putting laxatives in drinks for girls she didn't like . [ ] Organizing cliques to isolate students from poor families … ] ] The most explosive part was a recording with Sophia's shrill voice clearly audible : " That bookworm deserved to get shocked ! If she hadn't seduced Jaxon … " ] ] The post instantly blew up across campus . [ ] Former followers who'd stuck to Sophia quickly distanced themselves , with some even stepping forward to testify against her . Overnight , the beloved campus queen became a pariah . [ ] Sophia hid in her dorm , frantically calling Jaxon , but never got through . ] She smashed all her makeup and screamed hysterically : " It's all that bitch Riley's fault ! " ] But this time , no one was there to agree with her . ] ] At Harvard's library , Riley stared at her computer screen , her fingers hovering over the keyboard . ] The afternoon encounter with Jaxon kept replaying in her mind - his red - rimmed eyes and trembling voice were like a thorn , making her restless and irritated . " Drink something warm . ' w A cup of chamomile tea was placed on the desk . Ethan sat beside her and naturally took the mouse from her hand : " Let me handle this data processing . " Riley held the warm cup , sneaking glances at his focused profile . Ethan seemed to sense her gaze and turned with a slight smile : " What's up ? " ] " You … aren't going to ask about this afternoon ? " she said hesitantly . ] ] ( 0 )