Chapter 5: The Smile with Teeth

Evelyn didn’t see Nathaniel again until the final bell rang and the school began to empty out like a cracked beehive. The halls echoed with chatter, slamming lockers, and the lazy clatter of students dragging backpacks behind them.

She had hoped he’d cool down. That maybe—just maybe—he’d brush off her earlier rejection like it was just a dramatic scene in the soap opera of high school.

But she knew Nathaniel too well.

Charm wasn’t his only weapon.

She was halfway to the school gate when his voice cut through the noise like silk dipped in ice.

“Evie.”

She stopped.

He was leaning against a nearby pillar, arms folded, looking casual and unbothered. But his eyes told a different story—sharp, calculating, unreadable.

“I’ve been looking for you,” he said smoothly.

“I’ve been avoiding you,” she replied flatly.

His lips twitched. “So I noticed.”

She crossed her arms, refusing to move. “If this is about what I said at lunch, my answer’s still the same.”

“I figured.” He stepped closer, slowly. “But see, I think we got off track.”

“No,” she said. “You just don’t like losing.”

He smiled. A tight, amused thing. “I’m not used to it, that’s true.”

Evelyn held his gaze, heart steady. “You should get used to it.”

Nathaniel sighed, as if they were just old friends caught in a misunderstanding. “Come on, Evelyn. We have history. Don’t throw all of that away because you’re having some kind of crisis.”

She laughed bitterly. “This isn’t a crisis. It’s clarity.”

“You think you’re seeing clearly now?” he asked, stepping even closer. “Because to me, it looks like you’re sabotaging your own future.”

“My future?” she echoed. “You mean your plan for my life?”

He flinched—barely—but she caught it.

Evelyn stepped forward now, fire rising in her chest. “I remember how you used to talk about us. How we’d be perfect. The golden couple. How you’d take care of everything and I’d just have to smile and say yes.”

“You did say yes,” he said, voice lower now. “Eventually.”

“That was a mistake.”

Something changed in his eyes. They darkened—not in rage, but in that quiet, dangerous way predators do when they realize their prey is trying to bite back.

“You really think you’re going to find someone better?” he asked, voice like poisoned velvet. “Someone who knows you like I do? Someone who’ll protect you the way I have?”

“Protect me?” she echoed. “Is that what you call controlling my every move?”

He took another step. “I call it loving you.”

“No, you used to love the version of me who stayed quiet. Who let you lead. Who needed you.” Her voice was strong now. Steady. “That’s not me anymore.”

Nathaniel’s jaw flexed.

“And what happens now?” he asked. “You walk away, just like that? And everything we had means nothing?”

Evelyn shrugged. “If it was real, you wouldn’t have to threaten me to keep it.”

He didn’t reply for a long moment.

Then, slowly, he leaned closer. So close she could smell the familiar cologne she used to adore. He lowered his voice to a whisper meant only for her.

“You think you’ve won something, Evie? You haven’t. You’re just giving it all away. And when things start falling apart—you’ll come running back.”

Her spine stiffened, but she didn’t move.

“I won’t,” she said.

Nathaniel gave a soft chuckle, shaking his head. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into. I’ve seen girls like you try to play strong. They all break eventually.”

Evelyn’s smile was cold. “Then you clearly haven’t met the new me.”

He watched her for a moment longer—eyes flicking over her face like he was searching for the girl he used to control.

But she wasn’t there.

He turned and walked away.

And Evelyn exhaled slowly, like she’d just surfaced from deep water.

Outside the school, the air was crisp and cool. She sat on a bench near the front lawn, letting the adrenaline settle in her bloodstream. Her hands were shaking, but she felt it again—that dangerous, beautiful sense of freedom.

Nathaniel’s charm was always just a mask. And now that it had cracked, she saw the real him.

She’d faced it once—naively, blindly. And it had almost killed her.

This time, she saw it coming.

And this time, she chose to walk away.

That was power.

As she sat there, watching the golden light stretch across the pavement, a shadow passed beside her.

“You really poked the hornet’s nest, didn’t you?”

She turned.

Lucien Vale.

Hands in his pockets, watching her with mild amusement and something else—something unreadable beneath his storm-grey eyes.

She blinked. “You heard?”

“Saw,” he said. “Didn’t need the audio to get the gist.”

She gave a dry laugh. “Guess I’m not great at subtle exits.”

Lucien tilted his head. “You’re brave.”

Evelyn looked at him. “You don’t even know me.”

“Don’t need to,” he said. “I’ve seen girls like you. The ones who walk away from golden boys usually do it for a reason.”

She paused. “You knew Nathaniel?”

Lucien’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I know boys like him.”

She held his gaze. “And what do you think of girls like me?”

He shrugged. “I think they’re either about to change everything… or get eaten alive trying.”

“Maybe both,” she murmured.

He sat down beside her. Not too close. Just close enough.

“Don’t let him corner you,” Lucien said quietly. “He doesn’t just give up.”

“I’m counting on it.”

He looked over, surprised.

“I’m not done yet,” Evelyn said. “He took everything from me once. This time… I’m going to take it all back.”

Lucien studied her a moment, then nodded once.

“Good,” he said. “Because you’re going to need more than a backbone. You’re going to need a plan.”

Evelyn turned to him slowly.

“Then maybe,” she said, “you should help me make one.”