Page 65 of Theirs to Ruin

I sat frozen, emotions of love and hate and betrayal and longing all warring inside me before I abruptly stood, shoved all my things in my bag, and walked toward Ty. I slipped into the seat next to his and prayed no one could see my heart hammering in my chest.

Ty blasted me with an angry glare. “What the fuck are you doing?”

“I would say I’m saying hello to an old friend, but I’m pretty sure we’re past that.” I shrugged. “Honestly? I thought you might want some company considering people seem to hate you even more than they do me right now.”

His jaw clenched, muscles twitching with irritation. “Who the fuck cares what people think? And no, I don’t want your company. Leave.”

His cruel words hurt me—Ihatedthat he still had the power to hurt me—but I wouldn't let him see that. I settled back in my seat and pulled out my laptop. How had we gone from whispered secrets and shared dreams to this?

“I think I’ll stay.”

I could tell he wanted to get up and leave, but he also didn’t want to give the impression I was getting to him.

"What are you doing here, Ty?" I said quietly.

He smirked. “Matriculating, obviously.”

"What?"

"Expanding my horizons," he drawled, his voice cold. Every word, every inflection, made it clear he was not the same person I’d once known.

“You expect me to believe you just happened to get accepted to the same school I’m attending when the last time I saw you was in Italy?”

He turned toward me, his expression hard and unyielding. “Actually, the last time you saw me was at the airport in Rome, after I went down on you in the car and kissed you goodbye, my mouth still wet from your pussy, just before I sent you back home to America.”

My face flamed and I looked around to see if anyone had heard. People were staring at us but it didn’t seem they had. “Bastard,” I muttered.

His eyes darkened further, the danger in them evident. “Exactly. Stay the fuck away from me.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. Each word he spoke, every icy glance, pulled at memories we'd created together, now tainted with a bitterness I could hardly fathom. It was heart-wrenching to acknowledge, but the boy I had once loved so deeply was lost, replaced by someone so bitter, cruel, maybe even evil.

“Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t,MateoSerrello.”

He stiffened, and a flash of something crossed his face. I felt a fleeting satisfaction that I'd managed to ruffle his composed façade, even if just for a moment.

As the professor dove deep into the art of stealth, I sat stiffly next to Ty. Though I tried to focus on the lecture, my senses were hyper-aware of his presence—every shift in his posture, each restless tap of his finger, I felt it. Even without looking at him, I sensed the intensity rolling off him.

When the class was over, Ty stood up, his tall frame casting a shadow over me as he strode out. I sat there, shaking, until well after the classroom had cleared before I stood. While I was proud of myself for confronting Ty, none of my questions had been answered. I still had no idea why he was here or whether he’d had anything to do with Ava’s death.

But I was going to find out.

Chapter 28

Camille

Iwalked into my final class for the night, relieved to see Ty wasn’t in the room. Having him in one class was bad enough. I didn’t think I could handle him being in Seduction 102 too.

The class slowly filled with chattering students and then the professor walked in. She dragged two chairs to the front of the classroom and stood by them. Professor Santiago was tall, curvy and naturally poised. Her long, dark hair was slicked back into a high ponytail. She exuded sensuality, which was intimidating enough, but she was also ruthless, outspoken and demanded perfection. Anxiety pooled in the pit of my stomach.

The professor clapped her hands together, causing everyone to quiet down. “With your upcoming exams, I thought today would be the perfect time for some practical run throughs. I’m going to pair you off and I want you to put all the skills you’ve learned in this class to use. Show me you know what you’re doing, guys. I need a volunteer.”

She scanned the room.

Alex put his hand up and gave her a charming smile. “I’m happy to be the subject.”

I rolled my eyes. Of course he would offer to be the subject. Alex was a cocky, immature, outspoken jerk who loved nothing more than girls throwing themselves at him.

The professor nodded and wrote something down. “Okay, Alex. Have a seat here.”

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