CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 68

"I don’t know how you got into Luke. But not Tia, though. Tia would see right through you."

"Is that what you think?" Athaliah scoffed. "Well, too bad, because it’s not going to work out that way. You know why? Because I can make her believe me over you."

Rhea’s heart skipped, her gaze faltered, and the confident persona she had on crumbled. A cold dread wound its way under her skin, and her gaze nearly broke from Athaliah’s.

Athaliah glanced toward Tia who was now walking towards them then added, "Why don’t I show you." She pulled Rhea hand from Rhea’s cake, up the small knife in her palm, her eyes burning with a cruel intent. Athaliah shot out Rhea hand up, not toward Rhea, but to her own palm. She slammed the entire knife in with all her might.

Athaliah’s gut-wrenching scream sliced through the cafe, blood spilling everywhere.

The sight before her was difficult for Rhea to comprehend. That everything went still as everything and everyone around her became slow and motionless. Her heart hammered crazily in her chest, her lungs squeezed down on her breath as she turned pale.

Her name, ringing like a deafening church bell from Athaliah’s lips, was what brought her back to reality.

"Rhea, I’m sorry! I won’t come near you anymore. I won’t talk to Tia ever again. I’m sorry!" She begged, tears trailing down her cheeks with so much ease.

Rhea reached for Athaliah’s shoulders, her eyes thick with terror. "Why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"

Athaliah turned to her with an extremely wide smirk, then fell back to crying.

Tia dashed to the terrified crowd circling around Athaliah and Rhea.

"What is going on— Oh my god." Tia clamped her mouth before the horrified gasp could escape. Then her eyes trailed from Athaliah’s gashed palm to the knife in Rhea’s hand to her face.

"Rhea, what have you done?" she asked, her eyes wide.

"Tia, I didn’t do that. You have to believe me." Rhea reached for her.

But Tia pulled back.

"You could ask them; they saw her pushing the knife into her own palm." Rhea looked around at the people gathered, but none of them were on her side. Some faces were twisted in disgust, while others were filled with horror.

"Rhea, look at this!" Tia pointed at Athaliah’s hand. "Are you saying she hurt herself?"

"She’s doing this on purpose, Tia! Can’t you see it?" Rhea’s voice was raw, pleading. She turned to Athaliah, who had adopted a wide-eyed, innocent expression, a tear tracing a path down her cheek. "Stop pretending! You’re an awful, manipulative—"

"Enough!" Tia ripped her hand away from Rhea’s arm. Her face was no longer just uncomfortable; it was contorted with a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"I can’t believe you’re doing this, Rhea! She’s done nothing but be kind to us, and you’re just being... being hostile! Again!" Her voice rose, attracting more curious glances. "I am so sick of this! You always make everything about you!"

Rhea froze. The words were a colder, sharper knife than any Athaliah had wielded. Tia’s face, usually so warm and full of laughter, was now a mask of pure resentment. The friendly cafe, the bustling crowds, the promise of a weekend outing—it all dissolved into a deafening silence around Rhea.

She looked from Athaliah’s triumphant, pitying gaze to Tia’s furious, disgusted face.

She watched as they made their way out of the cafe.

And Rhea knew there was no going back from this.

After Rhea got home she took peace seated battered at their apartment’s dining table, blood still on her skin and clothes. Her mind was in a daze, her gaze fixed on the distance.

The hours bled into the afternoon. Life echoed from the bustling city, and birds flew and chirped in their comfort. But life wasn’t in Rhea’s apartment, not in her life anymore. Because it was now being sucked away from her.

Rhea remained motionless in that same position until evening came. Tia still wasn’t anywhere near the house. Not until far in the night.

As the door lock clicked open, Rhea immediately stood up, fidgeting with her fingers, her eyes fixed on the door.

Tia stepped inside and was greeted by Rhea’s drained expression. She stared at her for a moment, then walked inside.

"Tia—" Rhea called out, but her voice was cut off by the sound of Tia slamming the door.

The next morning, the murmuring began as soon as she walked into the class. Harsh murmurs flooded the room, each one eating away at Rhea as she sat at the far end of the third row.

"Did you hear? Rhea stabbed Athaliah because she wanted to be friends with Tia," a student said, loud enough that Rhea could hear.

"I’ve always known there was something wrong with her, like when she and Zack were dating," another replied. "Imagine, she blackmailed him with her life if he tried leaving her."

"Who would have thought she’s a sociopath and so toxic? I’m glad I never spoke to her."

"Yeah, what a relief," they both sighed.

As the class commenced, the side murmuring didn’t die down.

With each word she heard, she sank deeper into her desk, her back hunched over her book, closing her ears with one hand.

I didn’t do any of that. So why wouldn’t she believe me? She glanced to the opposite side of the room at Tia, who was close to Athaliah and Luke by her right. That very sight cut deeper, and she hurriedly looked away.

How do I explain it to her for her to believe me? Rhea buried herself in her thoughts. How do I prove I didn’t do it? Yes—the footage. Rhea smiled to herself, scribbling in her notebook.

"Ms. Rhea, it seems your attention is somewhere else," the lecturer’s strained voice said at her side, breaking Rhea from her thoughts.

"I’m sorry, ma’am," Rhea stood, apologizing.

"How would she pay attention when she might be fantasizing about slitting our throats?" A student muttered.

"Keep it down," the lecturer instructed, then turned to Rhea. "Ms. George, this should never happen in my class again."

"Yes."

As the class ended, a girl suddenly gasped, looking at her phone with a scornful expression. "Guys, big news!" A blonde girl shouted. Her eyes moved toward Rhea. "Check the school blog!" she shouted. "It turns out someone has been fucking with a professor during classes!" she announced, giving Rhea a pointed, disgusted look.

Gasps echoed from every corner of the hall. Glances were thrown in Rhea’s direction.

"And it also turns out the Mr. Zeenare rumor was actually spread by her, to blackmail Mr. Zeenare into breaking up with Tiffany so she could date him," the blonde girl continued, pointing at the two posts on her phone.

With everyone’s eyes on their phones, the room erupted with students’ uproar of insults thrown at her.

"Geez, I bet sleeping around was how she got that car." a guy said, smirking at her.

"God! Who knows how many lecturers she could have slept with to get that car," another said.

"Yeah," another agreed. "Her results are also one. What if she fucked for her grades too?"

"Hey, Rhea, want to hang out so we can have fun? You know what I mean, right?" a boy said, waving his phone at her, then winked.

"OMG! She isn’t just a murderer, but also a slut and a man-stealer," the entire class erupted into a mocking laugh.

Rhea’s eyes found Tia, who was staring at her with an expression that read: betrayal.

"Tia, wait!" Rhea rushed toward her, but fell before she could even make it out of her row.

Why are these things happening? She questioned.

"Are you okay?" A hand stretched out to Rhea, who was still on the floor.

She looked up, and it was Zack, looking at her with an expressionless face, waiting for her to take his hand.

Instead Rhea moved away from him, using a nearby seat as assistance to stand.

"Still acting tough in this situation?" Zack glanced at his suspended hand, then tucked it into his pocket. He leaned closer to her. "And that’s what I love about you. Please keep acting strong. It gives me so much pleasure," he said. His eyes rolled behind his head in cruel pleasure. "To see you struggling and crumbling."

At first, Rhea blinked, a weak, nervous laugh twitching at her lips. Then the realization landed, and his words started echoing in her brain.

Horror rippled across her face in waves, like someone watching themselves being unmade in real time. Her face drained of all color, her lips parting as though words had been stolen right out of her throat.

Her eyes widened, not in disbelief, but in the sick recognition that he meant every word. The corners of her mouth trembled, caught between a scream and silence, as though her very expression had betrayed her into fear.

"Get away from me." Rhea pushed past him, grabbed her belongings, and sprinted for the door.