I stand up so abruptly my chair scrapes against the floor, and everyone turns to look at me.
"I'm sorry," I manage to say. "I need—bathroom?—"
Marco is already moving toward me, and Dr. Kouris is frowning with concern, but I push past them out into the hallway, trying to breathe through the panic clawing at my throat.
"What's wrong?" Marco's hand is on my arm, steadying me. "What happened?"
I show him the texts with shaking hands, and his expression goes hard.
"Luca," he says into his radio. "We have a situation. Whitmore is on campus. Get eyes on the quad, south side of the humanities building."
"I can't do this." I slide down the wall, sitting on the floor of the hallway like a child. "I can't—he's everywhere. He's always?—"
"We're going to find him." Marco crouches down beside me. "And we're going to make sure he doesn't get near you. But right now, I need you to breathe. Can you do that?"
I try. But my chest feels too tight, and there's not enough air, and I can feel the edges of my vision starting to go dark.
"Head between your knees," Marco’s hand is on the back of my neck, gentle but firm. "That's it. Just breathe. You're okay. You're safe."
But I'm not safe. That's the problem. I'm not safe anywhere.
—
Romeo arrives twenty minutes later,and the look on his face when he sees me sitting on the hallway floor makes my heart break. "I'm taking you home," he says, and there's no room for argument in his voice.
"I have another class?—"
"I don't care." He helps me up with his arm around my waist like he's afraid I'll collapse. "You're done for today."
Campus security shows up as we're leaving—two officers who look bored and annoyed at being called for what they clearly think is a domestic dispute.
"Ms. Beauregard?" The older one has a notepad out. "We received a report of harassment?"
"Yes." Marco steps forward before I can speak. "Thaddeus Whitmore has been sending threatening messages and stalking Ms. Beauregard on campus. We have screenshots of the texts and?—"
"Thaddeus Whitmore?" The officer's expression changes, becomes more guarded. "The Whitmore family?"
"Yes." I find my voice, though it comes out smaller than I want. "He's my ex-fiancé, and he's been?—"
"Has he threatened you directly?" The officer is writing something down, but his tone suggests he's already decided this isn't worth his time. "Has he made any explicit threats of violence?"
"He said I can't hide from him. He said?—"
"That's not an explicit threat." The officer closes his notepad. "Look, Ms. Beauregard, I understand you're going through a difficult breakup, but unless Mr. Whitmore has made a directthreat or attempted to physically harm you, there's not much we can do."
"He's stalking her." Romeo's voice is dangerously quiet. "He's following her across campus, sending threatening messages, showing up outside her classes?—"
"If you're concerned about your safety, I'd suggest speaking with the dean's office about a no-contact order. But that's an administrative matter, not a security issue."
I watch them walk away, and something inside me breaks a little more. "They're not going to help," I say quietly. "His family has too much influence. Too much money. They're not going to do anything."
"I know." Romeo's jaw is tight. "That's why we're handling this ourselves."
—
The next threedays are a nightmare.
Thad is everywhere. Outside the library when I try to study. Sitting three tables away in the campus coffee shop. Always just far enough away that he's not technically doing anything wrong, but close enough that I know he's watching.
