Old Dreams No Return (Serena) novel Chapter 15

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15

Mer

The rumors? They wrapped around me like a chokehold, silent but suffocating. I tried to block it all out, burying myself in dance.

But you can only run for so long. That afternoon, the cafeteria was a madhouse. My roommate and I had just found a table when a sharp, shrill voice sliced through the din.

“Serena! You’re such a fake!”

Every single eye in the room zeroed in on us. Tiffany stood in the dead center of the cafeteria, her meticulously made-up face contorted with raw jealousy and contempt. She stormed straight to my table, her finger practically jabbing at my face.

“So you couldn’t snatch Liam, huh? And your brilliant plan was to just vanish? Playing the pathetic victim, acting all innocent and pure, hiding out here, thinking he’d just pine away for you?”

Tiffany’s voice was razor-sharp, every word laced with pure venom. “What do you even do besides these pathetic little mind games, huh? You’re the one who dumped him! Now that he’s chasing after you, you’re probably just soaking it all in, aren’t you, you smug thing?”

My knuckles, clutching my chopsticks, went white. But my face? Totally blank.

The whispers around us grew louder, all kinds of stares-curious, judging, even a little malicious-fixed on me.

“What, is this not a total setup?”

Tiffany, seeing my silence, got even more fired up, her voice climbing higher. “Let me tell

“Hey there.”

A calm, yet undeniable voice cut Tiffany off.

Mark had walked over, I hadn’t even noticed.

He subtly stepped in front of me, shielding me from Tiffany’s aggressive stare.

you,

don’t waste your

time! You’re totally-”

His expression was still his usual gentle one, but his eyes were calm as still water, carrying an unshakeable strength.

“First off,” he said, “this is a public place. Please watch your words and actions. You’re seriously disrupting everyone else’s meal.”

Mark’s voice wasn’t loud, but it cut clearly through the surrounding chatter. “Secondly, based on your unfounded accusations and personal attacks, you’re publicly insulting another student. Per school policy, we’re well within our rights to demand you stop this right now and get out.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Tiffany’s face, twisted with anger, before finally landing on the campus security guard who’d arrived, drawn by the commotion, giving a subtle nod.

“And finally,” his tone remained even, yet carried a rare, cold edge, “whatever unfounded assumptions you’re making, you’re in no position to pass judgment on Serena’s choices.”

The security guard immediately stepped forward.

Tiffany’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the man who’d suddenly appeared in front of her, trembling with rage. “Who… who are you?! What happens between her and me is none of your damn business! Are you involved with her, too-”

“Who I am is irrelevant.”

Mark calmly cut her off, without even a ripple in his tone. “It’s simply about right and wrong. Now, move along.”

I looked up at Liam’s back, a bitter pang unexpectedly welling up in my eyes, but I swallowed it back down.

Just then, another figure shoved his way through the crowd and burst in.

It was Liam.

He’d clearly been running; his face was a furious mess, a look I’d never seen on him before.

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He first shot a glance at Tiffany, who was being restrained by security, her face absolutely livid. Then his gaze snapped to me, standing behind Liam, my eyes cast down. Finally, his stare locked onto Liam’s back, a clear wall of protection.

Shame, fury, and raw jealousy boiled wildly in his eyes.

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“Tiffany!”

Menu

He practically snarled, grabbing her arm with enough force to make her yelp in pain. “Are you done making a scene?! Who the hell told you to come

here?!”

“Liam! I…” Tiffany’s eyes instantly welled up, looking like she’d found her savior as she tried to explain herself.

“Shut up!”

Liam cut her off, his voice sharp and his eyes terrifyingly cold. “I’ve made it crystal clear to you: there’s nothing between us! My life is none of your damn business! Now get out of UCLA, immediately, and don’t you ever show your face to me or her again!”

He pointed at me, his tone absolute.

Tiffany was visibly cut by the raw disgust and harshness in his eyes. Her face went deathly pale, and she couldn’t utter another word. The security guards led her away from the cafeteria, looking utterly lost and broken.

The chaotic center of the drama suddenly emptied out.

Liam stood rooted to the spot, his chest heaving.

He’d dealt with Tiffany, publicly severing all ties in front of everyone.

He looked at me, opening his mouth, as if to explain, to apologize, to beg for just a sliver of understanding.

He must’ve figured he’d done the right thing this time, right? He’d protected me, gotten rid of the person who’d hurt me.

All eyes were on me, waiting for my reaction.

But I just quietly stood up.

I didn’t even spare Liam a glance. His desperate pleas, his pathetic waiting? Totally irrelevant.

I just turned to Mark. “Thanks,” I said. “Let’s go.”

Liam’s outstretched hand froze mid-air. All the words he’d wanted to say choked in his throat.

A tidal wave of icy despair crashed into his chest, pulverizing the last shred of his pointless hope.