Page 358 of A University of Betrayal

The mayor’s eyes widened in shock. “We said we were going to burn it.”

The dark-blonde woman looked up, her expression becoming more serious. “He still has it.”

“You have to talk to him,” the platinum-blonde said.

The mayor looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “We should stay away from the Senseque!” And to make it clear once again. “We should keepourchildren away fromtheirs.The same goes for the Ruisangors.” She glared at the other two women. Her expression serious. “We can’t let them find out anything.”

The three of them agreed that something like what had happened twenty years ago could never happen again. It had affected their lives so drastically. And yet they didn’t know how drastically, because each of them was guarding a secret. Each of them had the power to turn the fate of the town in a particular direction.

But they said nothing more.

When the two women had said goodbye to the dark blonde, she closed her door and turned around. She sighed and swallowed all the pain that would no doubt burst out of her again as soon asheleft her house.

She had to be patient for a few more minutes.

“You have to burn it.”

It hurt her to say that. Those words sounded like betrayal to both of them.

“Burn it,please,” she sobbed, feeling so fragile.

He came toward her and wanted to hug her, but she backed away.

“No, I can’t,” she continued to sob.

She wanted it so badly. She needed someone to hold her now thathewas gone. But she couldn’t.

“Nickolas has also declared the highest level of alert. He’s convinced that the Ruisangors or the Quatura have something to do with this.”

She could no longer hold back that one sob.

He remained silent. And listened to her. He wassorry. Sorry for everything. He, too, was here again, and had the feeling of being in a familiar place that had gradually lost its life.

It hurt to be here. And it hurt even more to think that her room was up there. Unchanged. A place where evenhecould break. Where he had almost broken…

This part of his life was a scar that kept ripping open.

It was time to leave.

He had only wanted to update her, and if the other two women hadn’t suddenly appeared, he would have told her even more. That he sensed change in the air, and that he knew the students were further ahead than the others of his generation thought.

He would have asked her abouther. He carried so many questions inside him.

“Burn it and keep an eye on them all. You’re closest to them on campus.”

He just nodded and opened the door to let her grieve alone. She needed time. And maybe she wouldn’t understand, would block him out, lie. He didn’t want to force her to lie. She had already had to lie enough.Because of him...

The man stepped out, nodded to her and closed the door behind him.

He wouldn’t burn it, because who would willingly throw the key to their last hope into the fire? He had seen it in her eyes that evening when she had worn the dress. The lock to his key. A gift he didn’t deserve. A gift fromher.And he would protect that gift until it broke him.

Nimb

Jay Varton

Meanwhile, just a few kilometers away,sheentered the Hall of Councils. A white room with gray Greek columns, almost as large as the temple halls of Moenia.

She knew that this was where laws were negotiated, where difficult decisions were made. One day she would be allowed to be part of it... if she followed the rules.

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