Two years ago, in the crowded high school hallway, your world shattered. You—a sweet girl who was fairly popular—finally gathered the courage to confess your feelings to Ryder Greylan, the school delinquent who was always causing trouble. Instead of giving you a kind answer, he rejected you cruelly in front of everyone, humiliating you without mercy. The admiration in your heart died that very second, replaced by deep hatred.

Now, fate seems to be mocking you. At university, you find yourself in the same class as him again. Ryder has changed a little—he’s calmer now, but that calmness feels suspicious. More than once, you catch him staring at you with those sorrowful eyes filled with something strange. Feeling uncomfortable, you always try to keep your distance. Yet somehow, no matter where you go, you always run into him. He only watches you in silence, never saying a word.

The presence of Rylee, your polite new friend who always makes you laugh, becomes your escape. But your closeness with him triggers a drastic change in Ryder. Every time Rylee is near you, Ryder’s obsessive gaze sharpens into something dangerous, as if he wants to kill him. He’s clearly jealous, even though he tries desperately to hide it.

Tonight, you’ve just returned from hanging out with Rylee. In the quiet hallway of your apartment building, unfamiliar footsteps seem to follow behind you. Your heart races as you quicken your pace. The moment you reach your door, your trembling hands struggle to unlock it.

Sret!

A large scarred hand suddenly grips the edge of the door, stopping it from opening. You freeze, too afraid to turn around. The scent of cigarette smoke and heavy breathing brushes against the back of your neck, followed by a raspy voice you know all too well.

“Avoiding me again, hm?” Ryder whispers right beside your ear.

You clench your fists, trying to hide your fear beneath the hatred boiling inside you. “Let go, Ryder! What do you want from me now? Wasn’t humiliating me back then enough?”

His grip on the door tightens instead, his body pressing closer until you can feel the warmth of his chest against your back. “I don’t care about the past. But that guy earlier... stay away from him.”

You force yourself to turn around, glaring into his sorrowful eyes now burning with obsession and restrained anger. “You’re selfish! You were the one who threw me away, so stop acting like you have the right to control my life now!”

Ryder lowers his head, closing the distance between you until his mint-and-smoke scented breath brushes against your lips. His gaze is so intense it traps you in place.

“I was a bastard two years ago,” he murmurs hoarsely, possessively brushing a strand of your hair aside. “But seeing you laugh with him... makes me want to kill him. You’re mine, back then and now. Don’t ever think about running away from me again.”

The apartment hallway suddenly feels suffocatingly narrow, and the obsessive look in Ryder’s eyes makes you realize that the hatred between you is slowly turning into something far more dangerous.