CHAPTER 106: U-TURN

Craig staggered back a step, the blow ringing in his ears, blood blooming at the corner of his mouth.

His head turned slowly, the muscle in his jaw twitching as he brought his eyes back to Louis. It wasn’t rage that filled his face. It was something colder.

Quieter.

He tilted his head, spit blood to the side, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"You hit harder than I thought," Craig muttered, voice low. "But not hard enough."

Louis braced himself, fists still clenched, waiting for the hit he knew was coming, only that it didn’t come.

Because the last thing Craig was going to do was get into a fistfight in the middle of a police station.

Not here. Not like this.

He could already hear his father’s voice, sharp and merciless: ’You brawled in a precinct? Are you trying to disgrace us? You think you’re above it all just because you’re clever? You’re nothing if you can’t control yourself.’

And the worst part? His father would be right.

Some things were bigger than college drama. Bigger than jealousy or bruised egos.

So Craig stepped forward instead, slow and deliberate, tension coiled in every line of his frame.

A calm so controlled, so coldly measured, it made Louis’s blood boil.

It was infuriating, the way Craig didn’t flinch, didn’t yell, didn’t break. Like he’d already won something. Like he was above all this.

"You think this was about revenge?" Craig asked, voice tightening. "You think I kissed her to hurt you ?"

Louis’s breath came hard. "I think you’re a manipulative bastard who—"

Craig cut him off. "I kissed her because I’ve wanted to do that since the first day we met."

Louis blinked. The words didn’t register, like they’d been spoken in a language he didn’t understand.

"We wanted each other," Craig repeated, quieter now, his voice dark and edged with pain. "You can throw punches, call me names, tell the whole world I’m trash. But it won’t change a damn thing."

His eyes locked on Louis’s, then he continued. "She never wanted you. Not really. And deep down, you’ve always known that."

Before Louis could lunge again, a voice broke through the tension.

"Hey! What the hell is going on here?" A uniformed officer strode down the hallway toward them, hand resting on the grip of his belt.

Craig took a sharp step back, hands raised in mock surrender, expression tight with restraint. "Nothing, officer. Just clearing the air."

Louis said nothing, his chest heaving.

The cop glanced between them, eyes narrowing. "This is a police station. One more outburst and you’re both out in cuffs. Got it?"

Neither of them answered. The officer turned and walked away, muttering something under his breath.

When the silence returned, it wasn’t the same. It was heavier. Louis stood still, fists slowly relaxing at his sides.

Craig’s voice broke the quiet one last time. "She was never yours to lose, Louis." And then he walked off. No flinch, no glance back.

Inside the visitation room was cold in that soulless, fluorescent way. Plastic chairs. Metal table bolted to the ground. A ticking wall clock that made every second louder than the last.

Phoebe sat stiffly, arms crossed, a restless energy coiled beneath her skin.

She looked up when Keith was escorted in by a weary-looking officer. He looked exhausted, hair tousled, dark circles under his eyes, lips tight like he was done talking.

Phoebe didn’t speak as he sat down across from her. "Why didn’t you ever tell me? About the video, Merlina’s dad, about everything?" she asked finally, voice low but sharp. No room for excuses.

Keith sighed and leaned forward, elbows on the table, avoiding her eyes. "I wanted to forget it," he muttered. "What good would it have done? It doesn’t change what happened."

Phoebe’s eyes stayed on him, her features softening just enough for worry to creep in. She scanned his face like she was searching for the version of Keith she knew.

He looked up at her slowly. "Have you seen Craig?" he asked, voice almost a whisper. "He’s so mad at me."

Phoebe leaned back in her chair, arms tightening across her chest as she hissed, "He’s probably somewhere...kissing Merlina."

Keith blinked, stunned. "What??"

Phoebe raised her brows, sarcasm dripping. "Oh? I guess you didn’t know either. God. They’ve been playing all of us like idiots."

Keith sat back, visibly trying to process. "Wait, you saw them?"

"Mmhmm." Phoebe looked away, jaw clenched. "They didn’t even try to deny it."

Keith let out a breath, dragging a hand down his face. "Oh, it all makes sense now. Why he’s so pissed. He’s letting his emotions cloud everything...because of Merlina."

Phoebe scoffed. "God, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m really starting to hate Merlina Sanchez. Everything she touches turns to crap. It’s like she came to Belford just to ruin every part of our lives."

She was unraveling now, voice low, full of fury and disbelief.

"First her mother, now her psycho dad? Look at you. You’re sitting in a police station, Keith. Because of them. She cheats on Louis, steals Adriana’s man, and somehow comes out of it like the tragic heroine."

Keith gave a bitter laugh, leaning back against the chair. "And now she’s screwing with my relationship with Craig too."

Phoebe’s head whipped around. "You think?"

"I know," Keith said, eyes narrowing. "This was all just some sick prank, we’ve done stuffs like this before, to Conor. Now, Craig’s looking at me like I’m the one who betrayed him. Like I set all this in motion. But he’s just blinded. By her."

Phoebe let her head fall back, staring at the ceiling. "This is such a mess."

Keith sat forward again, his cuffs gone but the weight still there, like he couldn’t quite breathe right.

"I’ll be out soon," he said, quieter this time. "They just need me to sign some statements. I didn’t actually do anything wrong. My only crime was sending a video. That’s it."

He tried to sound confident, like he believed it. But the tightness in his shoulders betrayed him.

Phoebe looked at him for a long second, her arms still folded, mouth slightly downturned. Then she nodded once, barely perceptible.

"I’ll wait outside," she muttered. "Need some air."

Keith gave a tired smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "Thanks."

Phoebe pushed back her chair with a scraping sound, stood, and adjusted her coat. Her boots echoed on the linoleum floor as she moved to the door. The officer nearby opened it for her without a word.

She stepped out through the station’s side exit, the heavy door thudding shut behind her, then crossed the short stretch of pavement and leaned against the concrete column at the edge of the overhang and felt the air shift.

Not warmer, not fresher, but at least free of the walls that made everything inside feel smaller.

She leaned against the cold tile, arms hugging herself, breath fogging faintly under the harsh lights.

Then a car pulled up.

She didn’t look until the window rolled down, and heard someone call her name, "Phoebe."

It was Adriana.

Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun, face bare of makeup, but her eyes were sharp, too sharp for someone who hadn’t even been at the station.

Phoebe froze when she saw her. "Oh. Shit." She whispered.

She’d forgotten.

In the heat of it all, Keith still in the questioning room, Merlina crying, Craig comforting her like some kind of goddamn tragic hero, she had texted Adriana out of pure, vicious impulse.

’Hey. Heads up. Craig’s with Merlina at Belford’s Station. They were pretty cozy. Not sure what the hell’s going on, but thought you should know.’

But Phoebe hadn’t expected her to show up.

Adriana stepped out of the car and shut the door with a soft, final thud. "I got your text," she said, her voice clipped. "What happened, Phoebe? What the hell do you mean Craig’s with Merlina?"

Adriana stood like a storm barely holding itself back. Wind-chapped, eyes sharp, coat unzipped like she’d thrown it on in a rush.

"Don’t play dumb with me," she said, teeth clenched. "Is it true?"

Phoebe blinked. Her mouth opened, then closed again. She hadn’t decided how this moment would go, but it was here now, real and impossible to outrun.

Adriana took a step closer, fury vibrating in every line of her. "Tell me now. Don’t make me ask again."

Phoebe straightened. Her voice was quiet, but steady, almost cold. "Yeah. It’s true."

She didn’t flinch. Didn’t soften it. Because in that moment, something in her snapped. Merlina didn’t deserve her loyalty.

Not anymore.

"Craig and Merlina," Phoebe said quietly. "I saw them. Kissing. Holding each other like they were already lovers. Like it wasn’t new. Like it had...history."

Adriana blinked fast, her eyes suddenly red-rimmed, like the words burned before she could brace for it.

"And just so you know, it wasn’t a moment," Phoebe added. "It was something."

Adriana let out a breathless, bitter laugh. Her smile didn’t reach her eyes, nails digging into her palms.

She took a step back, her voice came low, like venom under velvet. "Of course. There was always something about her, I just couldn’t shake it off."

She paced away for a second, then turned back, fury rising behind her lashes. "She thinks this is over? That easy? She thinks she can sneak around, fuck my boyfriend and smile in my face?"

Phoebe said nothing. Her lips pressed into a line, not quite regretful, but wishing she wasn’t a part of this conversation.

Adriana reached for her car door, then paused, her voice low and terrifyingly steady, too calm to be safe. "Watch. I’m going to fuck Merlina Sanchez up so bad... she’ll wish she died with her mother."