Chapter 1 News

Liana's POV

“Liya, I swear to God, if you text him back again, I’m blocking you myself,” Rhea said, snatching my phone right out of my hand.

“Give it back,” I groaned, reaching for it. “You’re being too dramatic.”

“Dramatic?” She scoffed. “You cried over him last week.”

“Am I not allowed to express my emotions?” I retorted, dead serious.

From across the bench, Kabir choked on his drink. “Yeah, expressive like a broken tap.”

“Shut up,” I shot back, flipping him off.

I remember laughing.

Like, full-on, head thrown back, I-don’t-care-who’s-looking kind of laughing.

Which is funny, considering how everything went to absolute shit right after.

We were sprawled across our usual spot near the campus sidewalk—just enough shade so faculty wouldn't notice from afar.

Someone passed me a cigarette. I didn’t even ask who.

I took it anyway.

Bad habit. I know.

Sue me.

“Do you lack self respect,girl,” Rhea muttered, handing my phone back with disgust. “He literally said, and I quote, ‘I need space.’”

“And I’m giving him space,” I said, exhaling smoke. “I am switching to digital communication.I haven't been to his apartment since last week.”

Kabir leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “That’s not how space works, genius.”

“Look, if he wanted actual space, he’d block me. This is just emotional foreplay.”

Rhea stared at me like she was reconsidering our entire friendship. “You need help!”

“Probably,” I admitted, with a deep sigh.

Apart from my situationship, everything else felt… normal.Annoyingly normal.

The kind of day where nothing important was supposed to happen. Where your biggest problem was a guy who couldn’t decide if he liked you or just liked the attention.

But I liked that life. It was the life I had chosen… far away from my billionaire parents who cared for nothing except their ‘business’! I was just a by-product of their sex life!

I hated their pristine world! And that's why I was half way across the continent, smoking crack and weeping over a fucked up douchebag!

And then there was the main event — It started like a screech.A violent one.

We all turned at the same time.

A car—completely out of control—came tearing off the road like something had snapped inside it. The wheels locked, and for a split second, it looked like it was flying straight towards us.

“OH SHIT—” Someone screamed.Maybe me.Maybe everyone.

People scattered instantly.Bags dropped, chairs scraped, chaos erupted like a bomb had gone off.

The car rammed straight into the sidewalk barrier with a deafening crash.The impact was so loud it felt like it punched the air out of my chest.Concrete cracked!Glass shattered!

Smoke and burning rubber filled the air.

“What the hell—” Kabir grabbed my arm, pulling me back. “Liya, move!”

“I—I am—” I stuttered, but my feet wouldn’t cooperate.My heart was pounding too fast, like it was trying to escape.

Everything felt too loud. Too bright.Too real.It was scary as fuck, but honestly, the thrill was a turn on (yeah, that's me)!

For a second, I just stood there.

Staring.

Because something about it felt… off.

Sirens hadn’t even started yet.

People were still shouting, some rushing towards the wreck, others backing away like it might explode.

Rhea was saying something—my name, I think—but it sounded far away.

But then someone called my name louder. “Liyana Hale?”

I blinked, turning slowly.

A man stood a few feet away from us—formal shirt, ID badge clipped to his pocket, expression tight like he didn’t want to be there.

“Yeah?” I said, still a little breathless. “That’s me.”

He glanced briefly at the wrecked car, then back at me.“You need to come with me to the office,” he said.No explanation.

I frowned.“Right now? Can it wait? Because, uh—” I gestured vaguely towards the chaos. “You see that, right?”

“It’s important,” he said, firmer this time.

Rhea stepped in immediately. “What's going on here?”

Kabir nodded. “Yeah, dude, read the room.”

The man didn’t even look at them.His eyes stayed on me. “No,” he said quietly. “It can’t wait.This is about your family!”

Something in my chest tightened.Just… a feeling.The kind you get right before everything changes.

I took one last drag of the cigarette, flicked it to the ground, and crushed it under my shoe.

“Fine,” I muttered. “Let’s get this over with.”

I didn’t even knock.

The door slammed open with a bang that echoed way louder than I intended, but honestly? Not my problem.

“What is it this time?” I snapped, already halfway inside. “Another bulky donation or a ‘please fly home immediately for vacation’ situation? Because I have a class in twenty minutes and—”

I stopped.

Because the Dean wasn’t sitting behind his desk like usual, buried in paperwork and pretending students didn’t exist.

He was standing.Waiting for me.

And his face—

Yeah.

No.

I didn’t like that.

I frowned. “Okay… what’s with the look? Did I accidentally commit a crime I don’t remember or—”

“Liana,” he said softly.

I rolled my eyes, trying to shake it off. “Sir, seriously, if this is about attendance, I swear I’ll—”

He walked around the desk. “Sit down,” he said gently, placing a hand on my shoulder.

I stiffened instantly.

“Uh, no offense, but that’s weird,” I muttered, stepping back a little. “You’re scaring me.”

“Please,” he insisted.

I dropped into the chair, crossing my arms. “Can you just say it? What is it now—another event I have to attend or did they just fix my marriage without telling me?”

A glass of water appeared in front of me.

I blinked at it.

Then at him.

“Okay, now you’re really freaking me out,” I said, not touching it. “What’s going on?”

He hesitated.I had never seen him do that before. “Liana,” he said again, slower this time. “I need you to stay calm.”

Yeah! Works exactly the opposite!

His hand tightened on my shoulder. “Your parents are dead.”

Everything—

just—

stopped.

“What?!” I breathed.

It didn’t even sound like my voice.

For a second, I thought I misheard him.

I had to have.

“What?” I said again, louder this time, my chair scraping too loud as I stood up. “What are you talking about?”

“They died in a car crash!”