Ayla shouldn't have followed them.
But she did.
She didn't know why.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe anger.
Or maybe... something she didn't want to admit.
She moved quietly through the hallway, her steps careful, her heartbeat loud in her ears.
The voices grew clearer as she got closer.
"...you've changed, Zayn."
Lina.
Ayla stopped.
"...or maybe you're just pretending,"
Lina continued.
There was a pause.
Then Zayn's voice.
Cold.
Sharp.
"Say what you came to say."
Ayla held her breath.
"I don't like her," Lina said simply.
Ayla's chest tightened.
"She's not supposed to be liked," Zayn replied.
The answer felt like a blade.
Ayla's fingers clenched.
"She's not her," Lina added.
Silence.
Heavy.
Then -
"I know," Zayn said.
Two words.
But they carried weight.
Ayla felt something inside her crack.
"Then why her?" Lina asked.
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Ayla leaned slightly closer, trying to hear.
Zayn's voice dropped lower.
But she still caught it.
"Because she's the only one who can stay."
Ayla froze.
Stay?
What did that mean?
Before she could think further -
A hand suddenly grabbed her arm.
Hard.
Ayla gasped, turning around.
Zayn.
His eyes burned into hers.
Furious.
"You never learn," he said coldly.
Ayla's heart raced.
"I-"
"Enough."
He didn't let her speak.
His grip tightened as he pulled her closer.
"What did you hear?" he asked.
His voice was low.
Dangerous.
Ayla swallowed hard.
"Nothing," she whispered.
Zayn stared at her.
Like he was deciding something.
Then -
A faint, humorless smile appeared on his lips.
"Wrong answer."
Before she could react, he pulled her with him.
Fast.
Out of the hallway.
Back toward the party.
The music.
The people.
The noise.
Everything felt suffocating again.
Zayn stopped in the center of the hall.
All eyes turned to them.
Ayla's breath hitched.
"What are you doing?" she whispered.
Zayn didn't answer.
Instead -
He pulled her closer.
One hand firmly around her waist.
The other lifting her chin.
"Smile," he said quietly.
Ayla's heart pounded.
"This isn't funny-"
"It's not supposed to be."
Then -
Without warning -
He leaned in.
And kissed her.
Ayla froze.
Her mind went blank.
The world around her disappeared.
There was only him.
His touch.
His control.
His claim.
It wasn't soft.
It wasn't gentle.
It was possessive.
Dominating.
A message.
Clear and undeniable.
When he pulled back, the room was silent.
Ayla's breath came out uneven.
Her heart racing uncontrollably.
Zayn looked at her.
His expression unreadable.
"Now," he said quietly, "everyone knows."
Ayla's voice shook.
"Knows what?"
Zayn's gaze darkened.
"That you're mine."
The words sent a shiver through her.
Not fear.
Not entirely.
Something else.
Something dangerous.
Across the room -
Lina stood still.
Watching.
Her expression no longer amused.
No longer calm.
But something else.
Something darker.
Ayla met her gaze.
And in that moment...
She realized -
This wasn't just jealousy anymore.
This was war.