Everly Zamora POV:

Karmen Barry stood on the stage, beaming, clutching the award with delicate fingers. The spotlight caught her blonde hair, making her glow. "This film," she said, her voice soft but clear, "is about the devastating impact of media scrutiny on mental health. It' s a deeply personal story." My story. My mother's story.

A cold, hard knot formed in my stomach. She was beautiful, fragile, and utterly captivating. The audience adored her, praising her "courage" and "talent." My film. My soul, laid bare for her to claim.

I found her backstage, my legs feeling like lead. "Karmen," I said, my voice barely a whisper. She spun around, her smile faltering when she saw me.

"Everly? What are you doing here?" Her eyes were wide, but there was a flicker of something else there too-panic.

"My film," I stated, the words flat. "You're accepting an award for my film."

She scoffed, a brittle sound. "Oh, that? Yes, it was a good starting point. But it needed finesse. My touch. You know, to truly make it shine." Her words were like a physical blow. "Without my performance, without my story, it would have been nothing."

"Your story?" My laugh was ragged. "It was about my mother. My trauma."

Her eyes narrowed. "Don't pretend you're some innocent victim. You stole Hayes from me. You made him abandon me when I needed him most." Her face twisted. She lunged, her hands grabbing my throat. "You ruined my life!"

My breath hitched. Her grip was tight, desperate. I remembered the friend' s words: Karmen had been targeted. Hayes' s rivals had hurt her. I also remembered the self-harm scars on her wrists that the friend had mentioned. Her nails dug into my skin.

"He was never yours to steal," I choked out, trying to push her away. "And how is my mother's tragedy your story?"

Just then, the door burst open. Hayes. He saw Karmen' s hands on my throat, her face scarlet with rage. He rushed to her side, pulling her away from me gently, as if I was the aggressor. "Karmen! What happened? Are you hurt?"

Her breath was coming in ragged gasps. She clutched her arm, a fresh cut appearing on her wrist as if from nowhere. Hayes' s eyes burned with fury. He barely glanced at me, standing there, fighting for air, my own throat bruised.

"She... she attacked me," Karmen sobbed, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She's jealous! She wants to ruin everything!"

Hayes turned on me, his face a thundercloud. "What did you do, Everly? Why would you hurt her?" He didn't even look at my neck, the red marks already blooming there. He didn't question Karmen's bleeding wrist.

"I didn't! She--" I tried to explain, but his voice cut me off, sharp and cold.

"Enough! You've upset her enough." He looked at Karmen, his voice softening. "Let's get you out of here."

I couldn't believe it. He just blamed me. Again.

"My film, Hayes," I said, my voice shaking now. "She stole my film. You knew, didn't you? You helped her, didn't you?" The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. He had access to my laptop, to my files.

He flinched. His eyes dropped for a second. "It's just a film, Everly. I paid her for it. A generous amount. I thought you needed the money." He said it so calmly, so rationally. As if money could erase the theft of my soul.

My body went numb. My head felt like it was spinning. My documentary. My mother. It was sacred. The only way I could tell her story, my story. I had poured my heart into it, every memory, every painful detail of her breakdown, of the stalker, of the accident. I had even told Hayes about it, about the raw, vulnerable parts of my past. He had listened, or so I thought. He had seen my pain, and then he had sold it.

"Money?" My voice was a choked gasp. "You think this was about money? Hayes, this was my mother's memory! This was my life! Did you think I was so shallow, so desperate for money that I would sell my deepest pain?"

He looked away, unable to meet my eyes. He mumbled something about Karmen needing a win, about wanting to help her recover from her own trauma.

Karmen, recovering quickly, called his name again, a soft, needy sound. "Hayes? Are you coming?"

He turned to her, his back to me. His hand was already on her arm, leading her away. I stood there, watching them disappear. I was nothing. A ghost.

When I got back to my dorm, my mind was racing. I had to expose them. I had to fight back. I opened my laptop, my fingers flying across the keys. A public statement. The truth. I hesitated, Karmen' s fragile mental state flashing through my mind. But what about my own?

Then, the door to my dorm room exploded inwards.

Everly Zamora POV:

The door splintered, ripped from its hinges. A group of burly men stormed into the room, their faces grim. Hayes followed them, his eyes like chips of ice. He saw my laptop, the screen still open to my half-written statement.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was low, dangerous. "Still trying to make trouble?"

I stood frozen, my face pale. Fear, cold and sharp, pierced through me. The men were already fanning out, blocking every exit.

"Why are you doing this?" My voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Destroy everything," Hayes commanded, his gaze fixed on me, devoid of any warmth. "Every device. Every backup. Make sure there' s nothing left."

One of the men grabbed my laptop. I screamed, "No! Stop!" I lunged, but another man caught me, holding me tight against his chest. I watched, helpless, as my laptop was raised high and then slammed to the floor. The screen shattered, a spiderweb of cracks spreading across its surface. The sound echoed in the small room, a death knell for my work, for my mother's story, for any chance of justice.

"Hayes, how could you?" Tears streamed down my face. "What kind of monster are you?"

He didn't answer. He just watched as his men systematically smashed my tablet, my external hard drives, even my phone. Every piece of technology that held a fragment of my life, my memories, my truth, was reduced to rubble.

Then he was in front of me, his hand reaching out, his thumb gently wiping away a tear from my cheek. It was a gesture so tender, so unexpected, it made my skin crawl. "I've erased it all, Everly," he said, his voice surprisingly soft, yet chillingly devoid of remorse. "No one will ever know. No one can ever hurt Karmen like that again."

My breath hitched. "It was all for her, wasn't it?" The words were a bitter accusation. "This. All of it. To protect her."

He nodded, his eyes holding a strange, weary apology. "I'm sorry, Everly. I truly am."

Then he turned, the men following him out, leaving me alone in the wreckage. I sank to my knees amidst the shattered electronics, picking up the broken pieces of my laptop. I tried to fit them back together, a futile attempt to mend what was irrevocably broken. It was all gone. My thesis. My film. My memories.

A flicker of light caught my eye. A tiny, unbroken corner of the screen showed a pixelated image. It was a photo of us. Hayes and me. Laughing. Happy. A picture from the early days, before the lies, before Karmen. My hand trembled. I remembered the video I' d made him for our six-month anniversary, a montage of our moments, set to his favorite song. It was on that drive. Now, gone.

With a cry of raw anguish, I brought my fist down, smashing the last intact piece of the screen. No more. No more hope. No more us.

"It's over, Hayes," I whispered to the empty room. "We are officially over."

Days later, the department announced the cast for the graduation play. Karmen was the lead. I was cast as the villain, the ugly, jealous rival. My classmates snickered, "Perfect fit, Everly."

"I won't be here," I told them, my voice calm. "I'm leaving."

I packed my minimal belongings, a small suitcase filled with my disguise, my drab clothes, my broken dreams. I typed a brief message to Hayes, a final goodbye, and sent it to his old number, knowing it would probably go unread. My heart felt like a hollow drum.

The airport was a blur of noise and people. Just as I was about to check in, a sudden panic seized me. My grandmother' s locket. My mother' s locket. I had left it in my dorm room. I couldn' t leave without it.

Against my better judgment, I hailed a cab back to campus. The campus was quiet, deserted. Just as I reached my dorm, a sudden blow to the back of my head sent stars exploding behind my eyes. Darkness swallowed me whole.

Everly Zamora POV:

Pain. It was the first thing I registered when consciousness flickered back. My head throbbed. My wrists and ankles were bound. The air in the room was thick with dust and a metallic tang. I struggled against the ropes, a sob catching in my throat.

"Well, well, look who's finally awake." A voice, rough and familiar, made my blood run cold. I knew that voice. It was the man from the bar, the one Hayes had humiliated. The one who had kidnapped Karmen before.

He was glaring at his henchmen. "You idiots! I said the fragile blonde! The one Hayes McCall is always protecting! Not this… this nobody!"

One of the men mumbled, "Boss, his friend said she was leaving tonight. Said she was the one he cared about now. We just followed the directions."

My heart plummeted. Hayes. Had he sent them? Had he deliberately misdirected them to me? Was this his final punishment for trying to expose the truth? The thought was a crushing weight. He had destroyed my work, my memories. Now, he was offering me up to his enemies. I felt utterly, completely abandoned.

The man, the leader, grabbed a handful of my hair, yanking my head back. "Hayes McCall thought he was so smart, getting me locked up. And then he tries to pay me off? He thinks money fixes everything." He sneered. "He got his revenge on me once, for 'his girl.' Now, I' ll get mine. With interest."

My mind flashed back to the day Hayes beat those bullies at the university. He called it "revenge for me." But he had done nothing when I was actually hurt. He only acted when his reputation, his sense of justice was at stake.

"Kill her," he commanded, his eyes burning with malice. "Make it slow. Make sure McCall feels every single beat."

The blows started, sharp and brutal. I curled into a ball, trying to protect my head, my stomach, anything I could. Each impact was a jolt of agony. My body screamed. This was a pain I had never known. Growing up, I was shielded, protected. My brother, my father. They never let anyone touch me. Now, I was just a punching bag.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and silent. They were not for the physical pain, but for the devastating realization that Hayes truly didn't care. He had thrown me away. I closed my eyes, wishing for the darkness to take me again.

Then, a distant shout. A familiar voice, deep and commanding.

My eyes fluttered open. A tall, powerful figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted against the dim light. Before I could make out who it was, darkness swallowed me again.

The details swam in my head. The kidnappers were after Karmen. They had been given wrong information. And Hayes' s friend, Hayes' s inner circle, was the one who had sent them after me. Hayes was the only one who even knew my flight details. Did he set this up? Was this his ultimate betrayal?

The thought was a cold poison, spreading through my veins. He had used me as a decoy, stolen my work, and now, perhaps, he had delivered me to his enemies. The man's words, "Make McCall feel every single beat," echoed in my ears. I was just a tool. A message.

I tried to fight, but my body was weak, my limbs uncoordinated. I felt fists, boots, hitting me from all sides. The world blurred. Each blow was a fresh wave of agony. I had faced pain before, the emotional kind, but never this. This raw, brutal violence. It was suffocating.

My tears were not just for myself now. They were a silent scream at Hayes. Is this what you wanted for me? Is this what I meant to you?