Page 57 of The Bittersweet Bond

The moment class ended, whispers about Evin spread like venom."There’s definitely something to it,"someone said."I heard she was into it, but Bas wasn’t interested."Her heart clenched, but she held her head high.

"If my life is so fascinating, just ask directly. Saves you the trouble of cheap rumors," she shot back, not breaking stride. "Glad to see I’m keeping you busy."

Outside, she inhaled deeply, the cool air burning in her lungs, but the pressure in her chest refused to let up.

Damn it! How much lower could they drag me?

And then she saw him.

Of course.

He sat off to the side, wearing his usual casual expression, but the tension in his shoulders and the rigid line of his jaw betrayed him. She forced herself to look away, unwilling to dwell on how his hands had held her last night.

Reflexively, she sat on the top step, maintaining a careful distance. His presence was heavy in the air, pressing against her skin, but she refused to acknowledge him. Walking away and giving him satisfaction was not an option—not after everything.

In truth, she sat barely three meters from the boy who, less than 24 hours ago, had craved her, devouring her with his eyes and hands. Now he was just another distant, irrelevant guy.

She longed to make a scene. To tear into him, to spit venom, to let the world hear her rage—but not today. Today she was too tired, too hurt to keep fighting. She had already lost.

Instead, Evin stared down at the steps, as if looking long enough would make sense of any of this.

No one else was in the courtyard. Normally, lunchtime would have the space bustling with activity, but today it was eerily empty—just her and Bas. Bas and her. It was as if fate had granted them one final moment together. Twelve hours ago, she might have dreamed of a moment like this. Now, she wished he would vanish. His mere presence was unbearable.

Maybe she should just skip the rest of the day.

"Evin." His voice yanked her back to reality. She flinched. When had he quietly sat down beside her on the step?

Barely thirty centimeters lay between them—Thirty centimeters that might as well have been an ocean. She kept her eyes down, refusing to look at him. He did the same, his gaze fixed on the pavement. The wound he had left still stung

"Evin," he repeated softly, almost tenderly. How could he dare, after everything that had happened?

Those thirty centimeters between them were suffocating.

She lifted her gaze—cautious, controlled—and met his eyes across that unbearable 30-centimeter gap. For a fleeting moment, his icy blue eyes searched hers, seeking for what? For forgiveness?

No, not this time."What do you want?" she asked, her voice flat and emotionless. She was proud of her steady voice, even as her pulse pounded against her ribs.

So Evin held his look, refusing to show any sign of vulnerability. Today, she was determined to be the stronger one. He broke eye contact, and a tense silence filled the space between them.

Thirty centimeters. A distance so small, yet impossible to cross. The air between them felt heavier than the silence itself. In all the years she had known him, he had never lingered so close without speaking.

But now? Now, there was nothing left to say. Thirty centimeters that separated them completely.

"Hey, Bas!" a voice suddenly called. Dominic. She recognized his deep tone but didn't bother turning around—that asshole.

Bas, however, glanced over his shoulder, waiting for Dominic to explain the interruption.

"Chris and Jonas were looking for you. You coming inside?" Dominic asked, his voice casual—too casual.

Evin let out a sharp snort. Of course, they were looking for him. The same boys who had turned her into the latest joke.

Dominic, at least, she was certain of. She had heard it from others—his voice, his words, dripping with mockery as he spread the filth.

But the others?

Chris, she couldn’t say for sure.

And Jonas… Jonas was the one that stung the most. She had once thought of him as a friend, someone who had her back—always. Instead, his silence had been louder than any rumor.

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