Page 158 of The Wrong Play

I forced in a slow breath, gripping the edge of my table so hard my knuckles turned white. He was doing it again. Warping the past, twisting reality, painting himself as the victimwhile making me into something pathetic, something broken, something dangerous.

And people were believing him.

I stared down at my textbook, the words blurring together as nausea churned inside me. How was it all so effortless for him, that he could have just arrived and already be wielding so much power?

The girl sighed, her voice softening—but it wasn’t pity. It was satisfaction. “Honestly, I feel bad for him. Can you imagine how scary that must’ve been? He’s such a nice guy. He probably felt responsible for her.”

I swallowed back the bile rising in my throat.

I had to get out of here.

My chair scraped against the floor as I pushed back abruptly, the sound cutting through the low hum of voices around me. Heads turned. A few people blinked in curiosity, eyes flicking to me before shifting away, but I felt the weight of their attention like a crushing force.

I shoved my notebook into my bag, my hands jerky, clumsy. I still had more studying to do, but I couldn’t stay—not here, not when my lungs felt like they were collapsing in on themselves.

The girl didn’t even pause in her conversation.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be surprised if she still kept tabs on him. Someone needs to warn Jace.”

The words followed me as I walked away.

The moment I stepped out of the library, I felt it—that creeping sensation slithering down my spine, the weight of unseen eyes pressing against my back. I told myself I was being paranoid. I turned the corner, heading toward the courtyard, when a hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me into the alcove between buildings. My breath shot out of me in a sharp gasp as my back hit the cold brick, my body locking up at the sudden touch.

“Riley.” His voice was silk over steel, smooth and coaxing, but with that ever-present undercurrent of cruelty. The kind of voice that promised destruction hidden beneath a charming veneer.

I tried to yank free, but his grip tightened, fingers pressing into my skin like shackles. “Let go.”

Callum clicked his tongue, shaking his head like I was some troublesome child. “Now, now, is that any way to greet your mentor? I was worried about you, Riley. You missed our session.” His smirk was infuriating, full of condescension. “And we both know that wasn’t optional.”

My stomach twisted. “I thought you would let it slide considering the false pretenses,” I hissed.

He arched a brow, amused. “You wound me, Riley. False pretenses?” He scoffed. “I think you need someone looking out for you. Because,darling, you’ve got quite the reputation these days, haven’t you?” He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper. “People are talking, Riley. And not in a way that benefits you.”

I stiffened. “You did this.” My voice shook with fury, but he just tilted his head, eyes bright with feigned innocence.

“Me? You’re cutting me, truly.” He let out a low chuckle, his thumb stroking over the pulse point in my wrist. “But let’s be honest. You never really needed my help ruining yourself, did you?”

I swallowed hard, pulse hammering in my throat. “Why are you doing this to me?” I hated the vulnerability in my voice, but Callum thrived on it, feeding on weakness like a parasite.

His smirk widened, his grip loosening just enough to trail his fingers up my arm, slow and deliberate. I flinched, a violent shudder rolling through me, but he only hummed in amusement. “Because, my dear Riley, I find itentertaining. Watching you scramble, watching you fight so hard to stay afloat when we both know you’re drowning.”

I gritted my teeth. “You don’t own me, Callum. And you don’t know me, either. Not anymore.”

His gaze darkened, the glint of something vicious flashing across his face. “Don’t I?”

I felt it then, the true weight of his power. Callum had always known how to make me feel small. And right now, with his hand pinning me against the wall, his voice dripping with amusement, I felt utterly powerless.

“You know what I could do to that boy you’re living with, don’t you? One little whisper to the right people, and his name disappears from every draft board. His dream of the NFL? Gone. Just like that.” His voice was a blade slicing through the air.

“Leave him out of this.”

Callum sighed dramatically, as if my request genuinely inconvenienced him. “Oh, but that’s the thing, Riley. You make it impossible. Moving in with him? Makes me wonder…does he even know what you are?”

My pulse pounded in my ears, but I forced myself to stand tall. “If you do anything to him?—”

He held up a hand, feigning offense. “Now, now, don’t be so dramatic. I don’thaveto do anything. I just have to…suggest a few things, let the right people come to their own conclusions.” His smile sharpened. “You think I ruinedyourreputation? Imagine what I could do tohis.”

Pain bloomed in my chest, panic threatening to consume me. Jace had already done so much—protected me, loved me. And now, Callum was holding him over my head like a guillotine.

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