“Sinless.”
My whole body goes still.
Sinless. Me. They’re talking about me.
Curiosity claws at me and before I can talk myself out of it, I lean in, pressing my ear to the door. The wood is warm.
Ryker’s laugh rolls out again, loud and careless, and my heart lurches like it’s trying to climb out of my chest.
“No, really, how far have you gotten with the Sinless?” someone asks, their tone dripping with amusement, like I’m a joke passed around the room.
A knot twists hard in my stomach.
Then Ryker’s voice floats through—smooth, self-satisfied, the exact voice he uses when he knows everyone is watching him and he loves it. He sounds like he’s smiling. Like he’s winning.
“Oh, she’s deep in my pocket,” he says, almost casually.
In his pocket? My brain stutters. What does that even mean?
“Dad’s super pleased,” Ryker says, smug, “Might even snag me another Ferrari out of this. She’s right where I want her—dependent, desperate, needy.” He laughs, low and satisfied, like he’s talking about a deal he already closed. The words slice through me.
My chest tightens. I want to scream and pound on his door. I also want to run, get out of here. But I can’t. I’m rooted, like the weight of the entire Academy is pressing me down.
“Seriously,” one of his friends chimes in, a chuckle hidden in their voice. “You’ve got her wrapped around your finger, huh?”
Ryker leans back, laughter smooth and dark, effortless. “Better yet—she trusts me more than anyone at this school. Every move, everystep she takes… soon, it’ll all bend to me. Making her dependent? Child’s play.”
I barely register his words. Dependent? Following? My stomach twists, sharp and sickening, and for a heartbeat I feel like I might collapse right there. My hands clench, fingers white against my thighs, trying to ground myself.
“And the best part,” he says, grinning at his friends, “she thinks she’s in control, thinks she’s clever… and I just let her spin. I can’t help it—watching her try so hard? It’s ridiculously entertaining.”
Air catches in my throat. My fists dig into my sides until my knuckles ache. Every word. Every move. All of it. Ryker… this isn’t the boy I thought I knew. It can’t be. Why? Why me?
“Your dad said she has a 100% power rating? She’ll be a super powerful pawn if she comes into her powers.” Another voice says.
Someone closer to the door laughs harshly, “That’s a big IF. She’s done nothing.”
Ryker’s voice drops lower, more dangerous. “Not that it matters. If she doesn’t develop a sin power soon, the academy will kick her out. She can’t be a pawn or a threat if she’s gone.”
Gone. The word slams into me like a fist. My knees buckle, fingers digging into the wall to keep from collapsing. My chest heaves, my stomach twists, and every stupid hope I’d clung to, every whispered promise, every laugh, every damn inch of trust—I feel it snap in one brutal moment.
The dates, the moments that felt real, the stupid little “you’ve got me” promises… all of it a joke. A lie. And I’m the punchline.
I stumble back, gagging on the betrayal, mind working to process. He’s been… using me? Every second, every choice I thought was mine… just a move on his damn board.
I can’t even cry. My body feels heavy, like someone has poured lead into my veins. My worst fear isn’t just that I’m powerless—it’s that I’ve been used. That every effort I made to matter… never mattered at all.
The thought slices through me. If I stay here. I’m done. I’ll be erased.
The panic hits fast, hot and acidic, crawling up my throat. His laughter and his friends’ voices blur into a sickening hum behind the door. My vision swims, and for a second I feel myself slipping—falling back into that spiraling pit where everything hurts and nothing makes sense.
But then— No.
No more.
I grit my teeth and force a breath into my lungs even though everything inside me screams to fall apart.
I will not be exiled. I will not let them erase me.
