The morning didn't feel like a victory. It felt like the air before a lightning strike.
As Alex and I walked toward the massive iron gates of the University, he didn't hide. He didn't walk five steps ahead of me like a Professor. He reached out and laced his fingers with mine, his grip firm and warm. He was telling the world that I wasn't just his student—I was his choice.
But as we stepped onto the campus, the "shiver-inducing" silence started.
The students who usually laughed and talked near the fountain stopped. One by one, heads turned. Eyes widened. I could see the girls from my class—Sara and Meera—whispering behind their hands. Their eyes weren't kind anymore. They were full of judgment and a cold, sharp hate. To them, I wasn't the hardworking scholarship girl; I was the girl who had "trapped" the most handsome professor in the college.
"Don't look at them," Alex murmured, his voice low and protective. He squeezed my hand, but I could feel the tension in his own arm. He knew what was coming.
We didn't have to wait long.
Standing on the steps of the Main Hall was Elena. She wasn't wearing the red silk dress from the night before, but her face was just as red with rage. She held a thick envelope in her hand, and her eyes were fixed on our joined hands.
"So, it's true," Elena said, her voice ringing out across the courtyard so everyone could hear. "The rumors were right. Professor Alex has been sharing his bed with a scholarship student. Is this how you help the 'poor,' Alex? By taking advantage of girls who have nothing but their grades?"
The crowd gasped. I felt like I was shrinking, my face burning with a shame I didn't deserve.
"That's enough, Elena," Alex roared, his voice echoing against the stone walls. "This is a private matter. Luna is my partner, and my living situation has nothing to do with my teaching."
"It has everything to do with the University's reputation!" Elena stepped forward, her heels clicking like a countdown. "I have already spoken to the Board. This envelope contains the photos I took of you two on the balcony. I have the records of her living at your address. By the end of the day, Alex, your career will be ash. And Luna..."
She turned her cold, hazel eyes to me. A wicked smile played on her lips.
"Your scholarship is tied to your 'moral character.' By tomorrow, you'll be packed and gone. You'll have no degree, no money, and no future. Was a few nights with a professor worth losing your entire life?"
I felt a wave of dizziness hit me. This was the "wreckage" Alex's mother had warned us about. Elena wasn't just trying to break us up; she was trying to destroy our souls.
"I don't care about the board, Elena," Alex stepped in front of me, his shadow shielding me from her hate. "Take my title. Take my office. But you will never touch her. If she loses her scholarship, I will pay for her education myself. If she loses her degree here, I will take her to a better place."
"You think you're so heroic," Elena hissed, her voice shaking with jealousy. "But let's see how much you love her when you're both standing in the street with nothing but the clothes on your backs. The hate you're feeling today? It's only the beginning."
Alex didn't reply. He simply turned and led me away, but I could feel the weight of a thousand eyes on my back. The hallways felt tighter. The air felt colder. We were together, yes, but we were also alone in a world that was suddenly determined to see us fall.
As we reached his office, I looked at him, my eyes filling with tears. "She's right, Alex. They're going to hate us. They're going to make it impossible for us to breathe."
Alex pulled me into his arms, his heart beating a fast, steady rhythm against my chest. "Let them hate us, Luna. Let them try to break us. We knew this wouldn't be easy. But as long as we face the fire together, they can't burn us out. We are going to fight for our love, no matter how many difficulties they throw at us."
I nodded, but as I looked at the closed door, I knew the battle had just started. Elena was coming for us, and the "Perfect Professor" and the "Scholarship Girl" were about to face a storm that would change them forever.