Severing Ties

Lydia’s pov.

I was hiding.

I had practically sprinted out of the cafeteria, my face burning under the weight of a hundred hateful glares, and sought refuge in the furthest, darkest corner booth of the campus coffee shop. I sat there with my knees pulled up, staring at the slip of paper Cassian had handed me like it was a piece of radioactive waste.

My phone wouldn't stop buzzing in the pocket of my jeans.

Notifications from the Kingsmont University anonymous forum were blowing up. I didn't even have to unlock my screen to know exactly what they said. The lowly scholarship girl and the King of Hockey. What a headline. The gossip was already spreading faster than a leak in a dam, and I was pinned right at the dead center of the mess.

I couldn't stop replaying the moment in my head. I couldn't stop thinking about the intense, unwavering look in Cassian's dark eyes right before he stood up and walked away. He hadn't looked like a guy playing a cruel prank. He looked like a man who was simply waiting for me to say yes already.

Everyone at this school knew about the war between the Lombardis and the Mercers. It wasn't just some harmless campus rivalry. It was a vicious, generations-deep blood feud between two massive corporate empires that had spent the last decade trying to bankrupt each other.

Cassian was the quiet hero of the Kingsmont hockey team. He was the one everyone adored and cheered for, the stoic heir who had the whole campus wrapped around his little finger.

Enzo was his exact opposite. Enzo was the reckless playboy of his family’s empire. He spent more time flaunting his ridiculous wealth and chasing girls than he ever did sitting in a classroom.

Growing up, I was always the awkward third point in their chaotic triangle. I was always stuck right in the middle.

Sitting in the dim coffee shop, the memories rushed back. I remembered our kindergarten playground fights, back when we were kids who didn't understand corporate warfare. They both swore I would be their bride one day. I always thought it was just a joke. We were only children.

But even back then, the differences were obvious. Cassian was the one who actually got his knuckles bloody fighting for me, standing his ground and taking the hits even when he was outnumbered. Enzo would just flash that million-dollar smile and use his charm to talk his way out of trouble, always acting like the world owed him everything.

For years, I had chosen to stay by Enzo’s side. I convinced myself that his flashy charm was safer than whatever intense, consuming fire burned in Cassian's eyes. Even though I knew Enzo was a reckless playboy, I couldn’t help but hold onto a pathetic thread of hope. I hoped that one day, he would wake up and realize that I loved him.

What a massive mistake that turned out to be.

"Lydia! My God, I’ve been looking for you everywhere!"

I jumped in my seat as my best friend, Camilla, practically crashed into the booth, sliding into the chair across from me. Her eyes were wide with total shock.

She slammed her phone down hard on the wooden table. The screen displayed the school’s main forum page.

Cassian’s public reply to my post was pinned at the top. It was the highest-rated comment, boasting hundreds of likes and a chaotic thread of replies from people losing their minds over it.

"Lydia, tell me right now why Cassian Mercer is offering you a luxury suite in the Summit," Camilla demanded.

I let out an exhausted sigh and told her everything. I explained the desperate need of an apartment. I explained how I put up the notice on the site, and then how Cassian just marched up, handed me his number, and walked out.

Then, I told her about the dorm drama. From the whole grotesque sex charade Enzo and Blair put on to torment me, to the dinner invite Enzo casually tossed my way for Blair.

Camilla looked like she was having a heart attack right there in the middle of the shop.

"You have to do it. You have to call him right now," she urged, pointing a sharp finger at the paper.

"I can't just move in with a guy I haven't seen in over a decade, Camilla. We talked for two minutes and it was so intense. It's too much," I argued, shaking my head.

"Lydia, look at yourself," Camilla shot back, her tone turning stern. "You're exhausted, you're hiding, and your 'best friend' is busy bringing another girl home to meet his parents."

She leaned across the table, invading my space, forcing me to meet her fierce gaze.

"Cassian is the golden boy here for a reason. He’s responsible and he’s quiet. If he’s opening his door for you publicly, he's basically protecting you from the fallout," she insisted.

"He probably just wants to spite Enzo," I muttered.

"Who cares?" Camilla snapped. "It's your chance to finally stop being Enzo's shadow. He’s never going to choose you, Lydia."

Those words hit me harder than the rain pounding against the coffee shop windows.

She was right. The truth tasted like ash, but she was right.

I thought about how Enzo had canceled our traditions lately. The Friday movie nights he skipped. The ten-year friendship anniversary he forgot because Blair wanted a spa day. He even forced me to go shopping with her.

The heartbreaking realization settled deep into my bones. I wasn't his best friend anymore. It was just a habit he was trying to break.

The crushing weight of my heartbreak shifted. The tears dried up, replaced by a freezing wave of clarity.

"I'm going back to the dorm," I said, standing up suddenly.

"To sleep?" Camilla asked.

"No," I replied. "To pack. I'm done being an inconvenience."

I marched out of the coffee shop and walked back to the dorms, the cold determination settling in my chest. My heart hammered a steady rhythm of pure defiance.

I walked right through the heavy front doors, not caring who saw me dripping wet. When I got to the common area of our suite, I froze.

I saw them.

Enzo and Blair were tangled together on the expensive couch, surrounded by shopping bags from places I couldn't even afford to look at.

Enzo looked up and frowned when he saw me standing there.

"Oh, hey. I forgot we were supposed to grab dinner tonight," he said.

His tone was casual. He didn't even sound sorry. He sounded like I was an interruption.

"I’m taking Blair to the Apex Gala tonight. Her dad invited us," he added, checking his watch, clearly wishing I would just go away.

"It’s fine, Enzo. I wasn't expecting you to remember anyway," I said.

My voice didn't tremble. I felt weirdly cold, like the freezing rain had finally frozen my heart shut.

"Are you okay? You look... different," he noted, squinting at me.

"I'm great. Have fun at the gala," I replied.

I didn't wait for a response. I went straight to my room and dragged my suitcases out from under the bed.

I shoved everything I owned into them. My clothes. My heavy textbooks. The photo of my parents.

Then, I walked to the desk. I gathered the stuff Enzo had bought me over the years. The stuffed bear. The expensive necklace. I left them sitting there in a neat pile. I didn't want any of it anymore.

I zipped my bags and dragged them out.

I stood in the hallway, feeling Blair's smug gaze burning into my back through the open door.

I pulled out my phone and dialed the number Cassian had written down.

"I'm ready," I said as soon as he picked up.

"Does the offer still stand? Because I'm standing in the hallway with two suitcases and no plan B," I told him, gripping the handle of my bag.

There was a brief silence on the other end.

"Hold on. Don't move," Cassian instructed.

He hung up. I stood there in the silence of the dorm that used to be my home.

Enzo came out of his room, adjusting his tuxedo jacket. He stopped dead when he saw my bags.

"What are you doing? Where are you going at this hour?" he demanded.

"Away from here," I stated.

"Lydia, don't be dramatic. We can talk about this after the gala," he insisted, reaching for my arm.

Dramatic. Right. Of course he'd call it that.

Just then, a loud, heavy horn honked from the street below.

I stepped back and looked out the window. I saw Cassian's car idling at the curb, dark and imposing.

"That's my ride," I said, pulling my arm away from him.

Enzo rushed to the window. His face flushed with sudden heat.

"Is that Mercer’s car? Lydia, what the hell is going on? Did you really take his offer?" Enzo shouted.

I didn't give him an explanation. I didn't owe him a single word.

I grabbed my suitcases and walked out the door, leaving him standing there in his expensive suit looking completely lost.

I made it down to the curb just as Cassian stepped out of the car.

He didn't say anything as he walked over, took my heavy bags, and tossed them into the trunk. He opened the passenger door for me, his dark eyes searching mine for a second.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked.

"Drive," I commanded.

He nodded, climbed in beside me, and just like that, we drove off.

I kept my eyes locked straight ahead. I resisted every urge to look back at the boy I'd spent half of my life yearning for.