Her Divorce, His Downfall (Sophia and Damian) novel Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Ellie POV

The halls felt different the morning after the announcement.

Not quieter, if anything, people were louder, still buzzing about the midterm, but the sound slid past me like water off glass. I walked with my books tucked under one arm, posture light, steps steady, buoyed by the undeniable fact that I’d won.

People were looking at me differently. They didn’t whispr as much as I passed, I didn’t hear one thing about Dom or Lucas like I finally proved I had my own identity. Which was…nice. Didn’t mean Vivian’s and Karina’s girls weren’t lurking but I was one step closer.

And that was enough.

And yet, my focus wouldn’t stay put. Like my victory couldn’t calm my thoughts.

Theykept slipping, sliding out of the present and into something older, heavier. Memories flickered in and out without warning, images from a life that wasn’t supposed to exist anymore bleeding into this one, layering themselves over my current reality until it felt like I was standing in two timelines at once. As time had gone one, it got harder-sometimes I couldn’t tell which memories belonged where for a few minutes. Faces blurred. Emotions overlapped.

And threaded through all of it was that scent.

I smelled it at the midterm announcement. It was distinct. One of the only memoires that wans’t starting to blur.

I knew it. I knew it, in the deep, instinctive way you know the sound of your own name spoken in the dark. But no matter how hard I reached for it, the meaning slipped just out of grasp, leaving only the ache of almost- remembering. What was there name?

My chest felt tight by the time I reached the washroom.

I pushed inside, grateful for the temporary quiet, and leaned over the sink, splashing cold water onto my face, breathing slowly as I tried to anchor myself. I stared into my eyes. Relax. Just think.

Then the bathroom door opened and I flinched, reaching for the soap, but when I looked up-

Someone passed behind me.

I froze.

Lavender hair passed. Dyed, soft curls catching the light, swinging in slow motion like the world had abruptly lost its sense of urgency.

My heart slammed once, hard enough to make my vision blur,

That scent.

The one from midterms. From the courtyard. From-

From before.

I spun-

But before I could even turn fully around, the bathroom door slammed open againand two girls stormed in, their voices sharp and mean, their energy predatory. They shoved the lavender-haired girl forward, pinning her against

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a stall door.

“Get back here, Omega,” one of them sneered. “Gods, you take up so much space for someone who’s never going to amount to anything.”

The girl squeaked, hands coming up defensively. “Please-just leave me alone-”

A milkshake was dumped over her head, pink and sticky, splattering down her hair and uniform. The second girl laughed and slapped her hard across the face.

“Just give up,” she said cruelly. “No one like you ever makes it.”

Something inside me snapped, finally shaking out of it.

“H-Hey!” I shouted, my voice echoing off tile. “HEY-leave her alone!”

They turned, startled, eyes narrowing.

“And what exactly are you going to do?” one of them scoffed.

Then the other squinted. “Wait… hold on. That’s Ellie.”

The color drained from her face. “The one tied to Dominic and Lucas?”

“The future Alphas?!”

I growled, heat flaring in my chest. “What?! Gods! I have no affiliation with them.”

They didn’t wait to argue.

Both girls bolted, shoes squeaking against the tile as they fled.

The silence that followed was thick.

I exhaled slowly and turned back to the girl, who was standing there drenched in milkshake, one foot half-in the toilet, shaking as she tried to wipe her face with trembling hands.

“Hey,” I said gently, stepping closer. “It’s okay. Let me help.”

She shook her head quickly. “You shouldn’t have gotten involved. They’ll come after you now.”

I snorted softly. “They already do. I can handle it.”

I guided her over to the sink and grabbed a stack of paper towels, wetting them under the tap before gently pressing them into her hands.

“Here,” I said. “I’ll get your hair.”

“I’m sorry,” she blurted immediately, voice thin. “I didn’t mean to- I mean, you didn’t have to step in. They’re going to ”

“They’re gone,” I cut in gently. “And even if they weren’t, you don’t deserve that.”

She nodded, but it was the kind of nod people give when they don’t quite believe you. She dabbed at her cheeks, flinching a little like she expected another shove.

“I really am sorry,” she said again. “I should’ve just kept my head down.”

“You don’t have to apologize for existing,” I replied, reaching for another towel when the first one fell apart in

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her hands. I stared at her face, swearing I knew it from somewhere.

Her eyes flicked up, then down again. “I know.”

She knew- Oh. Right.The girls said it.

We worked in silence for a moment, the only sound the faucet running and the crinkle of paper towels. Then she cleared her throat.

“I saw you at the midterm exams. You were really brave. I’m two years ahead of you and I don’t think I coud have handled that test,” she went on, still staring at her reflection instead of me. “I’m in the healer track too.”

I nodded, thinking a moment. “Why were those girls chancing you?”

She titled her head. “I just… messed up a group project. I have amazing grades but working with others is hard. And every time I mess up, it’s because I’m an Omega. And when I don’t, they act like it’s a fluke. Like I stole someone else’s place.”

“That’s not how skill works,” I said.

“Tell them that,” she muttered.

I leaned back against the counter, watching her carefully. I needed more info. “Why healer?”

She hesitated, fingers tightening around the towel. Then her shoulders lifted in a small, determined shrug.

“Because I want to help people,” she said simply. “And because… someday, I want to serve in the Alpha King’s house.”

My thoughts flashed to Dominic. I blinked. “That’s… ambitious.”

Her mouth twitched. “I know.”

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