Hate Me Like You Love Me (Serena and Caleb) novel Chapter 33

I find Caleb waiting in my room when I finally escape the endless goodbyes and congratulations that followed the Bennetts’ departure.

He’s sitting in my desk chair, elbows braced on his knees, hands clasped so tightly his knuckles have gone white. His expression is tight, controlled, barely containing the fury that radiates from every line of his body.

“Close the door,” he says without looking up.

I do, then lean against it with my arms wrapped around myself. The silence stretches between us like a taut wire, ready to snap at the slightest pressure.

“Well?” he asks finally, his voice deceptively calm. “Are you going to tell me what that bastard said to you out there?”

“He apologized.” The words taste strange in my mouth. “For the party. He said it was a miscommunication.”

Caleb’s laugh is sharp and bitter. “A miscommunication. Right. Is that what we’re calling attempted assault now?”

“He also told me about Rachel.”

The change in his expression is immediate. The carefully controlled mask slips, revealing something raw and vulnerable underneath before he can rebuild his defenses.

“What about Rachel?” he asks, but his voice has gone quiet in a way that confirms everything before he even speaks.

“That he had feelings for her first. That he told you he was thinking about asking her out, and you went after her anyway.” I watch his face, searching for denial that doesn’t come. “Is that true?”

The silence that follows is answer enough.

“Caleb.”

“Yes.” The word comes out like it’s been torn from his throat. “Yes, it’s true. He mentioned her first. But Serena…”

“You pursued her knowing how he felt?”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Then what was it like?” The question explodes out of me, sharper than I intended. “Because from where I’m standing, it looks exactly like what he said it was.”

Caleb springs to his feet, pacing to my window and back like a caged animal.

“You want to know what it was like? Fine. Lucas mentioned Rachel in passing. Said he thought she was cute, maybe he’d ask her to study together sometime. The kind of throwaway comment guys make about dozens of girls. I didn’t think he was serious.”

“But you knew he was interested.”

“I knew he noticed her. That’s not the same thing as being interested.” His hands clench and unclench at his sides. “And none of that, none of it changes what he did to her. What he tried to do to you.”

The doubt that took root during my conversation with Lucas spreads through my chest like poison. “But what if he was telling the truth about that too? What if it really was just a misunderstanding?”

Caleb stops pacing and stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”

“He said he stopped when I said no…”

“He had you pinned to a bed, Serena! He was tearing at your costume. If I hadn’t walked in when I did—”

“But maybe he would have stopped anyway. Maybe the alcohol made everything seem worse than it actually was.” The words sound hollow even to me, but I can’t stop speaking them. “Maybe I overreacted.”

“Overreacted.” Caleb’s voice drops to something dangerous and cold. “You think you overreacted to being assaulted.”

“I don’t know!” The admission tears out of me. “I don’t know what to think anymore. Lucas was right about Rachel—he told me the truth about that when he could have lied. So maybe he’s telling the truth about everything else too.”

The word naive hits me like a physical blow. “Don’t you dare talk to me like I’m stupid for asking questions that you won’t answer honestly.”

“Because my secrets never involved assault!” he shouts. “Because even at my worst, even when I was being a selfish bastard about Rachel, I never put my hands on someone who said no.”

“Gladly.” He strides toward the door, then turns back with something vicious in his expression. “Enjoy your engagement, princess. I hope you and Lucas are very happy together.”

“Get out!” I scream, grabbing the first thing I can reach, a pillow from my bed, and hurling it at his head.

He ducks, yanks open my door, and storms through it without another word. I slam it behind him hard enough to rattle the hinges, then stand there shaking with fury and hurt and confusion.

Down the hall, his bedroom door slams with equal violence. The wall between our rooms has never felt thicker.

Hours later, I lie in bed staring at the ceiling, twisting Caleb’s silver bracelet around my wrist until the chain leaves red marks on my skin. My anger has burned itself out, leaving only exhaustion and the weight of impossible choices.

The engagement isn’t binding—not yet. A verbal agreement made in the heat of family excitement doesn’t mean anything legally. I have time before graduation to figure this out. I can always change my mind later if I need to.

And what future do Caleb and I really have together? We’re stepsiblings. Our relationship would devastate our parents, destroy the happiness William and Catherine have finally found after years of struggle.

Is my own selfish desire worth that kind of destruction?

But Lucas—is he truly safe? His explanations sound logical, reasonable, backed up by truths I can verify. But what if I let my guard down and find myself trapped in something I can’t escape?

Think about it tomorrow, I tell myself, exhaustion finally winning over anxiety. It’s not like Dad would ever force me into anything I don’t want. There’s time.

I close my eyes and try to quiet my racing thoughts, but my fingers keep worrying about the delicate chain around my wrist—the bracelet Caleb gave me, the one piece of him I can’t bring myself to take off.

Even in sleep, I don’t let go.