The search

The following week was a blur for Izzy. She buried herself in her studies, pushing through lectures and assignments with a determination fueled by both fear and a stubborn refusal to let Ace, or whoever was pretending to be him, ruin her life again. She hadn’t heard back from D since his last message, but knowing that someone out there was looking out for her, even from the shadows, gave her a sliver of hope.

As the days passed, the tension in her shoulders eased a bit, though the anxiety never completely left her. She found herself glancing over her shoulder more often than she cared to admit, half-expecting to see Ace lurking in the corners of her vision. But he was never there, and the campus remained a safe haven, at least on the surface.

Lena had noticed Izzy’s distant behavior but didn’t press her for details. Instead, she provided the comfort of normalcy, dragging Izzy to study sessions and inviting her to lunch with friends. They didn’t talk about Ace or the strange messages,