The Forbidden Throb Chapter 173

Emma's POV:

The smell of pad Thai filled Daniel's apartment—lemongrass and lime cutting through the tension that had been coiled in my chest since I'd blocked Lily's number.

"Hey." Daniel's voice was soft as he set the takeout bags on the kitchen island. "Did you get the email from Student Affairs?"

I looked up at him, my laptop still open on my knees. "Yeah. They found her."

He went very still. "Who?"

"Lily Madison." My voice came out flat, almost detached. "Communications major. The girl who borrowed my notes, who I bought coffee for, who came to me for career advice."

I laughed, but it sounded hollow even to my own ears. "Turns out she was the one posting everything. All of it. Every single anonymous account traced back to her."

Daniel came around the couch, settling beside me. Close enough that our shoulders touched. "Emma—"

"I blocked her," I said quickly, before he could finish. "She started texting me right after I got the report. Begging to talk. Saying it wasn't supposed to 'go this far.' Like this was all just some accident that got out of hand."

I closed the laptop with more force than necessary. "So I told her exactly what I thought of her, and then I blocked her. Completely. "

"Good." His hand found mine, fingers threading through. "You don't owe her anything, Emma. Not your time, not your forgiveness, and definitely not your help avoiding consequences."

I leaned into him, letting my head rest against his shoulder.

Through the windows, the Boston skyline was turning gold with afternoon light. It was beautiful. Peaceful. And I was here, safe, with someone who actually gave a damn about me.

"I keep thinking about all the times she smiled at me," I said quietly. " Was any of it real?"

Daniel's arm came around me, pulling me closer. "Does it matter?"

"I don't know." I turned my face into his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. "I just... was confused."

His lips brushed my temple. "You're kind. You assume the best in people. That's not a weakness."

"But I have to say—I'm glad to see your kindness finally has some edges to it. Some teeth." There was something almost satisfied in his voice.

I pulled back enough to look at him. "You *like* that I was harsh with her?"

"I like that you protected yourself." His thumb traced along my jaw. "Kindness without boundaries just makes you a target, sweetheart. But kindness with a backbone? That's strength."

The words settled over me like a warm blanket, easing something tight in my chest.

---

The afternoon.

I decided to take a walk. The air was crisp but not quite bitter, the kind of cold that felt refreshing rather than punishing. I bundled up in my peacoat and headed downstairs, thinking I'd grab coffee from the shop two blocks over.

The walk helped clear my head. By the time I circled back to the apartment building, I felt almost normal again—centered, calm.

Then I saw her.

Lily was standing at the base of the entrance steps, hands shoved deep in the pockets of a thin jacket that looked wholly inadequate for the weather. When she spotted me, her face lit up with something desperate and hopeful.

"Emma," she called out.

I didn't even think. I turned on my heel, heading back the way I'd come.

"Wait!" Her footsteps hurried after me. "Please, Emma, wait!"

I kept walking.

"You blocked me!" Her voice was breathless now, pitched with panic. "I couldn't reach you any other way. I had to—I didn't know what else to do!"

That stopped me. Not because I felt sorry for her, but because the implication of her words hit me like cold water.

I turned slowly. "How did you know where I live?"

She froze, clearly realizing her mistake. "I—"

"I never gave you this address." I took a step toward her, and she actually backed up. "So how did you find it?"

"I just—" She swallowed hard. "I asked around."

"You stalked me."

"No!" The word came out too loud, too sharp. An elderly woman passing by gave us a concerned look. Lily noticed, and her voice dropped to a desperate whisper. "No, I just—I needed to explain. "

"You know what this is, right?" I kept my voice level, clinical. "Showing up at my home uninvited. Using illegal means to obtain my address. That's stalking, Lily. That's harassment."

"I didn't—" Her voice cracked. "I wasn't trying to—"

"I could report you." I watched her face go even paler.

"Please." She reached out as if to grab my arm, then thought better of it. "Please, just let me explain. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking."

A young couple walked past us, slowing down to stare. The woman whispered something to her companion, both of them glancing back as they continued toward the building entrance.

Perfect. Just what I needed—to become the subject of neighborhood gossip.

I sighed and said curtly. "There's a coffee shop two blocks north. We can talk there. "

Relief flooded her face, so intense it was almost painful to watch. "Thank you. Thank you so much, I—"

"Save it." I started walking, not waiting to see if she'd follow. "And if you ever show up at my home again, I'm calling the police. Are we clear?"

"Yes." Her voice was small behind me. "Yes, I understand."

---

The coffee shop was nearly empty—just a few students hunched over laptops in the corner.

I chose a table by the window, far from anyone else. Lily sat across from me, hands wrapped around a cup of tea she'd ordered but hadn't touched.

I didn't order anything. I wasn't planning to stay long enough to drink it.

"Five minutes," I reminded her, checking my phone. "Starting now."

She took a shaky breath, her fingers tightening around the cup. "Emma, I know what I did was wrong. I know that. But please—you have to understand how hard things have been for me."

I said nothing, just looked at her steadily.

"I've been working so hard," she continued, words tumbling out faster now. "Do you know how difficult it is to build a decent resume from scratch? I've been taking on every unpaid internship I could find, working retail on weekends to pay for rent, staying up until three in the morning to keep my GPA above 3.8. I finally—*finally*—managed to get some real experience. Real opportunities."

Her voice cracked. "I had interviews lined up with three major publications. The *Globe* was actually considering me for their summer program. And now..." She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "If the university issues a formal disciplinary notice, it'll show up on my record. Every background check will flag it. Every potential employer will see it."

"Lily—"

"No, please, let me finish." She leaned forward, desperation making her voice sharp. "I'm not from money like you are. I don't have family connections or safety nets. If I can't make it in journalism, I have nothing to fall back on. "

She was fully crying now, but there was something calculated about it—the way she watched me through her tears, gauging my reaction.

"I'm not asking you to forget what happened," she said, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "I know I can't undo what I did. But Emma, please—if you could just tell the university that you're willing to let this go, that we've worked it out between us... I'll do anything. "

"Stop." The word came out flat, emotionless.

She froze, staring at me with red-rimmed eyes.

"I'm sorry your life is hard," I continued. "I'm sorry you're scared about your future. But none of that is my problem. You made your bed, Lily. Now you get to lie in it."