CHAPTER 22 — "THE LAST LINE SHE CROSSES"
For two days, things felt quiet. Too quiet.
Classes continued. Students drifted through hallways. Papers were turned in. Meetings were held.
But beneath the normalcy, Lena felt a constant tremor — like an earthquake waiting for its moment to shatter the ground.
Elias felt it too.
He walked a half-step behind her everywhere, not quite touching, but close enough she could feel the heat of him.
Close enough that if anything — or anyone — reached for her, he'd be there first.
And she hated that she needed that.
But she also loved that he provided it without question.
---
**The Email That Changed Everything**
It happened on a Thursday morning.
Lena had just opened her laptop in the student library when she saw it:
**From: Maya C.
Subject: Urgent Information Regarding Faculty Conduct**
Her blood went cold.
"H-hey… Elias?" she whispered, even though he wasn't there.
She clicked.
And her entire world tilted.
Inside the email was a draft — a draft of a report to the university board.
And attached to it was a full list of timestamps, dates, photos of hallways, blurred snapshots of Lena entering Elias's building, and partial audio clips that were impossible for her to identify.
Maya had been building a case.
A real one.
A dangerous one.
But the worst part was the final line of the draft:
**"It is my moral responsibility to expose this relationship before it harms Lena further."**
Her chest squeezed.
Panic clawed its way up her throat.
She ran — actually ran — out of the library, heart slamming against her ribs.
---
**The Moment Elias Sees**
Elias was in his office, leaning over a stack of essays, when he heard banging on the door.
"Elias!"
He opened it instantly.
Lena barreled into him, holding her laptop out with trembling hands.
"She—She's going to the board," Lena gasped. "She's going to expose everything."
Elias grabbed the laptop, jaw tightening as he read.
Muscles in his shoulders locked in place.
His chest rose slowly, then fell, then rose again — a controlled attempt to keep from exploding.
Finally:
"She crossed a line," he whispered.
His voice wasn't angry.
It was lethal.
He shut the laptop, placed it gently on his desk, and turned to her with a steadiness that scared her more than rage ever could.
"Lena," he said quietly. "She is not taking you down with this. I won't allow it."
Her throat tightened. "Elias, it's not just about me. It's your job. Your career. Your name. Everything you've built—"
"None of that matters," he cut in. "Not compared to you."
Her breath caught.
But before she could answer, there was a soft knock on the door.
A voice Lena instantly recognized.
"Elias?"
Maya.
---
**The Confrontation They Didn't Expect**
Lena froze.
Elias's entire body went still.
He shot Lena one look — *stay behind me* — and walked to the door.
When he opened it, Maya stood there with a folder in her hands and an expression of manufactured concern.
"I think we should talk," she said softly, eyes darting to Lena.
"No," Elias said.
Maya flinched.
"You don't even know what I was going to—"
"You're done," Elias said, voice low and sharp. "You're done interfering with Lena. You're done stalking us. And you're done pretending this is about morality."
Her jaw twitched.
"You're protecting her over your entire career?" she bit out.
"Without hesitation," he said.
Maya looked at Lena, eyes narrowing with something like disbelief, something like envy.
"You manipulated him," she said. "You made him obsessed with you."
Lena stepped forward before she could stop herself.
"I didn't manipulate anybody," Lena snapped. "And you don't get to rewrite the story to make yourself the victim."
Elias reached for her instinctively — hand on her wrist, grounding her.
Maya's eyes flicked to the gesture, and something in her face cracked.
"You don't deserve him," she whispered. "You're reckless. You're naive. You're ruining him."
"He's not yours to judge," Lena said, voice shaking but strong.
Maya's hand tightened on the folder.
"I'm turning this in," she said. "The board needs to know what's happening."
Elias stepped closer, his voice low enough to vibrate the air.
"If you submit that," he said, "you're exposing yourself. Every photo you took. Every message you sent. Every lie you told. You'll lose everything."
Her face paled.
"Don't threaten me."
"That's not a threat," he said. "It's the truth."
Lena watched Maya's eyes flicker — doubt, fear, rage, then desperation.
"You don't understand," Maya whispered. "I was trying to protect you, Elias. From her. From yourself."
Elias inhaled slowly.
"I don't need protection from Lena," he said. "I want her. I choose her. That's not changing."
The words hung in the air like a confession neither of them could take back.
Lena's heart slammed so hard she thought she might fall.
Maya's breath shuddered.
Then she ran — dropping the folder, fleeing down the hall.
---
**What's Left Behind**
The silence after she left felt unreal.
Elias bent to pick up the folder.
Inside were printed photos, notes, and a partially completed written report.
He closed it with a sigh, then looked at Lena with something raw in his expression.
"You heard what I said," he murmured.
Her voice was small. "You meant it?"
He stepped forward, cupping her face gently, reverently, as though she were something precious he finally allowed himself to touch.
"Lena," he whispered, "I've chosen you from the beginning. I was just too afraid to admit it."
Her breath shook.
"I choose you too," she whispered.
Their foreheads met.
No kiss.
Just breath, closeness, and a promise that had been waiting for its moment.
The chaos had pushed them closer.
And now, they weren't holding back anymore.