CHAPTER 17 — "THE MESSAGE IN THE DARK"
Elias stared at Lena's phone as if the words were something poisonous.
*You should be careful who you meet on campus.*
*People notice things.*
His jaw tightened until a muscle jumped.
"Who sent this?" he asked, voice low and dangerously calm.
"I don't know," Lena whispered. "It's a blocked number."
He took the phone gently from her hands, examining the messages again, reading them like clues to a crime scene.
"Lena," he said, "this isn't a warning. This is a threat."
Her throat tightened. "I know."
He closed his eyes for a moment — not in fear, but in fury, like he needed a second to hold himself together.
Then he stood abruptly.
"We're leaving."
She blinked. "What? Where?"
"Somewhere private. Somewhere no one can watch you."
---
## **The Car Ride**
They walked to his car in silence.
He didn't touch her.
Didn't look at her.
Didn't speak.
But Lena had never felt more protected.
His anger wasn't at her — it was at whoever had decided to drag their private world into the open.
When they got in the car, he finally broke the silence.
"Lena… I need you to be honest with me. Has anyone said anything to you before today?"
"No. Nothing. I swear."
He nodded, still gripping the wheel too tightly.
"Okay. Then this is new. Someone saw us. Or overheard something. Or—"
He stopped himself, breathing hard.
"I should have been more careful."
She shook her head. "Elias, this isn't your fault."
"Yes," he said sharply. "It is. I let myself get too close in public. I let my guard down. And someone noticed."
"That doesn't mean—"
"It means we're being watched," he said. "And I need to know by who."
Lena's heart pounded.
"Do you think it's Maya?" she asked quietly.
His fingers tightened on the wheel.
"No. She wouldn't do this anonymously."
"Then who—"
"I'll find out."
The certainty in his voice sent a chill down her spine.
---
## **In the Quiet of His Home**
He drove them to his house — not planned, not thought through, but instinctive.
When he opened the door, he stepped aside so she could enter first.
His home was warm, clean, dimly lit — and right now, it felt like the only safe place in the world.
"Sit," he said gently.
She sat.
He paced.
Every few seconds he glanced at her — checking if she was okay, checking if she was scared, checking if she was still *his* Lena and not someone slipping away from him.
Finally she said softly:
"Elias… talk to me."
He stopped.
Then the truth spilled out, raw and unfiltered.
"I don't care about the rules," he said. "I don't care about the university. I don't care about my reputation."
He looked at her with something fierce and unguarded.
"But I care about you."
She swallowed hard. "I care about you too."
"That's why I can't let someone threaten you," he said. "I can't let you get hurt. Not because of me."
She stood and walked toward him.
"You're not hurting me," she said.
He exhaled shakily.
"You don't understand," he whispered. "If this spreads… they won't blame you. They'll blame me. They'll come after me. They'll strip away everything I've worked for."
Her voice wavered.
"And you still want this?"
He stared at her — long, intense, devastating.
"I want you more than I want my career."
Lena's breath caught.
That wasn't romantic.
It was terrifying.
Dangerous.
Honest.
She felt tears rise in her eyes.
"Don't say that," she whispered. "Don't say things like that unless you mean them."
"I do mean them."
She shook her head. "You're thinking emotionally. You're scared—"
"I'm not scared of losing my job."
His voice dropped.
"I'm scared of losing *you*."
Her knees weakened.
She pressed a hand to his chest.
His heartbeat was frantic.
"Elias…"
He covered her hand with his own.
"You matter to me. Too much. More than I ever intended."
Her eyes burned.
"Then let me stay. Let me be here. Just for tonight."
He closed his eyes — torn, aching, overwhelmed.
"I shouldn't," he whispered.
"But you want to," she said.
"I want everything I shouldn't want."
Her breath trembled.
"So do I."
---
## **The Second Message**
Her phone buzzed again.
They both froze.
Lena grabbed it off the table, hands shaking.
A new message:
*He shouldn't have taken you to his house.*
Elias's blood ran cold.
"How—" Lena whispered. "How could they—"
He took the phone slowly, like it was something dangerous.
Someone was nearby.
Someone was watching her.
Watching *them*.
In real time.
Elias turned off the lamp.
The room fell into shadow.
His voice was tight, controlled, trembling with anger.
"Lena… we're not dealing with gossip."
He looked out the window.
"We're dealing with someone who is following you."
Her heart hammered.
"Who would do that?"
"I don't know."
He locked the door.
Checked the windows.
Moved closer to her.
"But I'm not letting you go home tonight."
Lena stared at him, breathing fast.
"Then where do I stay?"
He met her eyes.
"Here," he said.
"With me."
"And after tonight?" she whispered.
He didn't look away.
"After tonight," Elias said quietly, "I'm not letting anyone get close enough to hurt you."
And for the first time, Lena wasn't sure if that vow was protective—
—or dangerous.