"I don't need smart. I need someone who will stand up for me without calculating the cost." She looks at Ivy. "I want to go."
"Wait. Isla, please. Let me explain?—"
"Explain what? That you had to weigh whether I was worth losing your father's approval? That you had to think about whether your family legacy was more important than me?" She's crying again, but her voice is steady. "You don't have to explain. I understand perfectly. When it came down to it, you chose being a Thornhill over choosing me."
"I didn't?—"
"You did. Even if it was just for thirty seconds. Even if you eventually landed on the right choice. That hesitation showed me everything I need to know." She starts walking toward the door. "The contract is over. The five dates are complete. We're done."
"Isla—"
Ivy steps between us. "She said she's done. Respect that."
They leave. Isla never looks back.
I stand alone on the balcony, watching the girl I love walk away, and I can't breathe.
I fucked up. In the one moment that mattered most, I hesitated. And that hesitation destroyed everything.
My phone buzzes. My father.
Father:It's 11:30. I assume you've made the right choice?
I stare at the text for a long moment.
Then I call him.
"Sebastian—"
"You lied about her. Someone fed you false information, and you used it to manipulate me. To threaten her."
"I was protecting you?—"
"You were controlling me. Like you've controlled me my entire life." My voice is shaking. "But I'm done. You want to giveyour donor speech at midnight? Fine. But I'm going up there first. And I'm going to tell everyone exactly what happened. How you came here to destroy a girl whose only crime was seeing something good in me. How you believed lies because they fit your narrative. How you gave me an ultimatum because you can't stand that I might choose something other than the legacy you've planned for me."
"You wouldn't dare?—"
"Try me. Thornhills protect their own, right? Well, Isla is my own now. And I'm protecting her. From you. From this world. From everyone who thinks she doesn't belong."
I hang up before he can respond.
But it doesn't matter. Doesn't change the fact that Isla is gone. That I hesitated when I should have been certain. That I let my conditioning override my heart for even a second.
I head back inside. Find Marcus.
"I need a microphone and everyone's attention."
"What are you doing?"
"Something I should have done two years ago. Being honest."
I take the stage. The microphone screeches as I adjust it. People turn to look, conversations dying down.
My father is in the back, his face thunderous.
I don't care.
"Hi. For those who don't know me, I'm Sebastian Thornhill. Legacy Council president. Fourth-generation Thornhill student. Exactly the person you'd expect to see up here giving some rehearsed speech about tradition and excellence and carrying on the family name." I pause. "But that's not what I'm here to do."
