Chapter 2 The Setup

• Nora pushed open the heavy door to the campus dance studio.
• The room was packed. Several students stood around the center of the floor.
• They all hovered over Zoe Mercer.
• Zoe sat on a wooden bench, holding her left ankle with both hands.
• "Oh, Nora!" Zoe cried out the second the door clicked open.
• "You're finally here!"
• Zoe's face lit up with fake relief. Her big eyes looked watery and weak.
• Every head in the room whipped around to look at Nora.
• Zoe wiped a fake tear from her cheek. She patted the space next to her on the bench.
• "We were so worried about you," Zoe said. Her voice shook in a fake, pathetic way.
• "The group dinner ended late last night. I went to use the ladies' room. When I came out, you were totally gone."
• Zoe leaned forward. She stared hard at Nora.
• "Dylan and I looked everywhere for you. Where on earth did you go?"
• Zoe tilted her head. She blinked her long eyelashes.
• "You didn't even come back to the dorm all night long."
• A low murmur rippled through the other students in the room.
• Heads turned. Eyes narrowed.
• People started whispering behind their hands.
• Nora stood frozen near the doorway. She felt the heavy weight of their stares.
• In her past life, this exact moment made her panic. She turned red and stammered. She tried to make up excuses because she felt guilty.
• She thought she did something wrong. She thought she betrayed her commitments.
• Now, she felt nothing. Just ice in her veins.
• Nora kept her eyelids heavy. She looked down at the polished wood floor.
• She kept her face totally blank. She forced the white-hot rage deep into her chest.
• It was way too early to start a full war. She needed to play along for now.
• "I'm fine," Nora said. Her voice stayed quiet and flat.
• "I got way too drunk. I couldn't walk back."
• "I just paid for a room in the hotel upstairs and crashed out."
• She paused for a second. She let out a soft sigh.
• "My phone died completely. Sorry for making you guys look."
• Zoe listened to every single word. Her eyes flicked up and down Nora's body.
• Zoe watched the way Nora stood. She checked the collar of Nora's shirt.
• She looked for any sign of a slip-up.
• Nora kept her chin tucked down. She knew Miles left a mess of marks on her skin.
• Thankfully, she had to wear her tight dance practice gear today. The dark bruises and bite marks stayed hidden under thick fabric and waist-huggers.
• Zoe didn't see anything obvious on the surface. But Zoe did not look satisfied.
• Zoe spent days planning this trap. She didn't drop it that easily.
• Before Zoe could open her mouth again, heavy footsteps crossed the floor.
• Dylan Foster pushed through the circle of students. He walked right past Zoe to stand in front of Nora.
• Dylan didn't ask if she was okay. He didn't ask where she slept.
• His eyes looked cold and annoyed. He only cared about one thing.
• "Nora," Dylan said. His voice sounded sharp and bossy.
• "Zoe just twisted her ankle badly."
• "She can't walk on it. And she has to perform tonight."
• Ms. Taylor, the head ballet instructor, walked over from the corner of the room. She held a clipboard against her chest.
• Ms. Taylor looked stressed out. She rubbed her temples with two fingers.
• "Nora," Ms. Taylor said. She let out a long breath.
• "Zoe messed up her foot. She can't do the masquerade routine tonight."
• "You know the choreography inside out. You need to take her spot on stage."
• Nora stayed quiet. She looked at the instructor's clipboard.
• Tonight was the big campus winter showcase. The dance department prepared two massive group numbers.
• Nora didn't even sign up for the cast list this time. She planned to skip the show entirely.
• She wanted to pick up an extra shift at her off-campus job to earn some cash. She needed the money for tuition.
• Because of last night and this morning's mess, she already missed her morning shift. She lost that money for good.
• Now they wanted her to step in and save the show at the last second.
• Zoe looked up from the bench. She put on her best puppy-dog face.
• "Nora, I am so sorry," Zoe whispered. She bit her lower lip.
• "It's all my fault. I'm just so clumsy. I hate ruining things for everyone."
• Nora stared right into Zoe's eyes.
• She looked past the pretty face. She looked past the fake tears.
• She saw the cold, rotten snake underneath.
• In her past life, Zoe used this exact same trick to ruin her.
• Zoe didn't twist her ankle at all. It was a total lie.
• Zoe faked the injury to get out of the spotlight. She wanted Nora to take the stage so she could trap her.
• Zoe hid a much bigger secret than a sprained foot.
• Zoe was three months pregnant.
• And the father wasn't some random guy on campus. It was Dylan.
• Back then, Nora was a total wreck. Her mind was broken from the night before. She tried to say no to the dance instructor.
• She told them she felt sick. She begged them to pick someone else.
• What happened next?
• The entire room turned on her in a second.
• People yelled at her for being a bad friend. They called her selfish and cold.
• They said Zoe was hurt and crying, and Nora refused to help. They put her on a high moral cross and burned her alive with public hate.
• Nora had no choice left. She walked out on that stage.
• She danced through physical pain. Her body felt torn apart. Her heart felt heavy with betrayal.
• She made a tiny slip on stage because she couldn't focus.
• As the star student of the department, that one tiny mistake ruined her. Ms. Taylor looked down on her. The judges mocked her.
• She became the joke of the international student body for months.
• Nora stood still. She let the silence stretch out.
• Dylan watched her hesitation. He thought she just wanted to be stubborn.
• He didn't want to deal with her attitude. He grabbed her wrist hard and pulled her away from the group.
• He dragged her into the quiet corner near the heavy velvet curtains.
• "What is your actual problem?" Dylan hissed. He kept his voice low so the others wouldn't hear.
• "Zoe is your best friend. Everyone knows that."
• "You already know the whole routine by heart. Why are you acting like this? Just get on stage."
• Nora pulled her wrist out of his grip. She wiped her skin like he carried a disease.
• She looked up at him. She stared at the guy she grew up with.
• They knew each other for over ten years. They lived in the same neighborhood. They shared everything.
• Looking at him now, she realized she never knew him at all.
• Her lips turned pale. She made her face look tired and weak.
• "Dylan," she said softly. She let her voice shake a little.
• "I really don't feel well today."
• Dylan let out a loud, dramatic sigh of pure annoyance. He rolled his eyes toward the ceiling.
• "Nora, come on. Stop being so dramatic."
• "Just push through it for one night. Grow up."
• "You know what kind of shape Zoe is in right now. It's not just a sprained ankle."
• Dylan lowered his voice even more. He leaned in close.
• "She's pregnant, Nora."
• "If she dances on that stage and passes out, that's two lives on the line. Do you want that on your conscience?"
• Nora lowered her gaze. She stared at the toes of her sneakers.
• She let a heavy, sarcastic edge creep into her tone. She made it sound like bitter jealousy.
• "You care about her a lot, don't you?" Nora muttered.
• "Anybody walking in here right now would look at you two..."
• She paused. She looked him straight in the eye.
• "They would think she was carrying your baby."
• Color drained completely from Dylan's face.
• His eyes went wide. Panic hit him like a physical blow.
• He felt a massive wave of guilt and fear crash through his chest. He forgot where he was standing.
• Dylan lost his temper. He raised his voice and pointed a shaking finger right at her face.
• "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Dylan barked.
• "Are you out of your mind?! Why are you always so jealous of her for no reason?!"
• Nora looked at him like he was trash.
• Oh, she wasn't jealous. A cheating piece of garbage like him wasn't worth a single ounce of her jealousy.
• She watched him sweat. She watched him panic.
• She let her face drop. She pretended to look scared and shocked by his sudden shout.
• She shrank back a little bit. She put on a weak, submissive act.
• "I'm sorry," Nora said. Her voice sounded small and quiet.
• "I was just joking around. Don't yell at me."
• She forced a weak smile onto her face.
• "I'll take her spot. I'll do the dance tonight."
• Dylan breathed out a heavy sigh of relief. He thought he scared her into submission.
• "Fine," Dylan muttered. He didn't look at her again.
• "Just make sure you don't mess it up."
• He turned around and walked right back to Zoe.
• Nora stood alone in the corner of the dark studio.
• She watched Dylan wrap his arm around Zoe's shoulders. She watched them smile together.
• Go ahead. Enjoy yourselves.
• This time, she wouldn't just take the stage.
• She was going to burn their whole world down.