Chapter 53
Chapter 53:
“It’s not just paper,” Ethan argued, his voice rising. “It’s defamation. It’s harassment. We’re going to the Dean right now. I’ll make them pull the security footage p>
He grabbed her wrist, his grip warm and firm, and started to pull her toward the administration building.
Skye dug her heels in. “Ethan, stop p>
He stopped, looking back at her, confused. “Why? We have to report this p>
“The Dean won’t do anything without proof,” Skye said quietly. She gently disengaged her wrist from his grip. “And security footage takes days to process. By then, the rumors will be facts p>
She stepped closer to him. She reached out and took one of the crumpled photos from his hand. She smoothed it out against her thigh.
“What are you doing?” Ethan asked, watching her.
“Evidence,” Skye said. She pulled out her phone and snapped a high-resolution photo of the crumpled paper, focusing on the timestamp and the specific font used in the caption.
Then she looked up. Her gaze drifted past Ethan, up to the second-floor balcony of the Arts building overlooking the courtyard.
There she was.
Seraphina Miller stood leaning against the railing. She was wearing a pastel yellow cardigan, looking for all the world like a ray of sunshine. Beside her stood Jessica and Tiffany. Seraphina was smirking. It was a small, victorious smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Skye locked eyes with her.
She didn’t glare. She didn’t cry. She simply stared, her expression completely void of the fear Seraphina wanted to see. She looked at Seraphina like a scientist observing a particularly interesting bacterium in a petri dish.
Seraphina’s smirk faltered. She shifted her weight, looking uncomfortable under the weight of Skye’s indifference. She whispered something to Jessica, then turned and walked away, her minions trailing behind her.
“I know who did it,” Skye murmured.
𝘖r𝗶𝗴іոа𝗅 𝘤𝗈𝗻te𝗇𝗍 𝘧𝗋о𝗺 bel𝗇𝗼𝗏𝘦lѕ.с𝘰𝘮
Ethan followed her gaze, but the balcony was empty now. “Seraphina p>
“She’s getting sloppy,” Skye said. She tapped her phone screen. “The photos are real, but the context is libel. And the upload… she thinks she’s anonymous, but every printer leaves a microdot signature, and every digital post leaves a trail p>
“I can hire a PI,” Ethan offered immediately. “My brother has guys who handle cybersecurity p>
Skye looked at him. His eagerness to protect her was palpable. It was sweet, but dangerous. If Liam found out Ethan was helping her, it would complicate her divorce strategy.
“No,” Skye said firmly. “Focus on your midterms, Ethan. I handle my own battles p>
“Skye, you don’t have to p>
“I said no.” Her voice was sharp, cutting off his protest. Then she softened her tone slightly. “Thank you for tearing them down. Really. But I need you to stay out of this part p>
She turned and walked away before he could argue further.
As she walked toward the library, her thumbs flew across her phone screen. She wasn’t hacking the server herself—that was a risk she didn’t need to take. She opened her encrypted messaging app.