Chapter 1: The Vampire’s Kiss and My Undoing

The girl Autumn Foster had saved? She woke up as a vampire.

At Maple Heights, the whole campus practically vibrated with gossip—one day she fainted in the gym, and the next, she reappeared pale, sharp-eyed, with a hunger she couldn’t quite hide. It was all anyone could talk about. I’d catch bits of it in the hallways—whispers behind textbooks, a snort of disbelief, someone muttering, "Did you see her smile?" The new girl’s too-bright grin and the way she latched onto Autumn, like he was the only safe place left in the world, became the stuff of legend. And Autumn? Yeah, he’s a guy—tall, careful, always the center of attention, and now the center of this rumor storm.

She’d hook her fingers into the hem of his shirt—sometimes nervously, like she thought he might vanish if she let go. She insisted on staying glued to his side, always finding some reason she had to be near him. "I just want to help," she’d say, or, "Let me do something for you." But it was more than that—you could feel it in the air.

It was straight out of a teen drama: the rescued girl, wide-eyed and trembling, trailing her hero everywhere. And she’d say it right out loud, too—"I owe you my life, Autumn." You could practically hear the collective eye-roll from everyone nearby, but she didn’t care. She really had her hooks in, and she wasn’t letting go.

Autumn didn’t refuse. Not once.

He let her get close—sometimes even seemed to enjoy the attention. I’d see his lips twitch in a way I hadn’t seen in months, or catch the way he’d lean in when she whispered something, like he was actually listening for once. It stung more than I wanted to admit.

I watched them from across the quad. Pretended not to care. But the way he smiled at her—softer than I’d seen in forever—gnawed at me. Even the way he leaned in, like the rest of the world disappeared when she spoke. It made something cold and jagged coil in my chest, like a fist squeezing from the inside.

The day Autumn kissed her back—yeah, that was it. That was the day I gave up. I asked to break off our engagement.

Honestly, I never thought I’d actually say it. But when I saw her lips on his and he didn’t pull away—didn’t even blink—I felt something inside me just snap. That night, my hands shook so badly I nearly dropped my phone while I texted him.

He frowned, annoyance etched into every line of his face. “She’s just repaying me. Are you seriously jealous over this? Lillian Brooks, quit with these games. It’s ridiculous.”

He said it like I was being a child, like I was the one making drama out of thin air. His tone was pure exasperation, like he’d already made up his mind and was just waiting for me to fall in line. I wanted to scream, but nothing came out—my throat locked up tight.

While Autumn waited for me to cave, my phone buzzed. A photo. My foster brother—of all people—had sent me a high-res shot of his abs.

The timing was so surreal I almost laughed. I was still staring at Autumn’s message, trying to process everything, when another notification popped up—a photo, clear as day, of abs straight out of a fitness magazine.

[Just finished a men’s fitness class. Heard girls like this kind of thing.]

[Guys out there send random pics, but if you want to see, just ask me. No one else has.]

Caleb always had this way of crashing into my life at the weirdest moments. He never checked if it was a good time—just sent whatever popped into his head. I could practically see his smirk through the screen, daring me to react.

Right after class, I got a text from Zoe Carter:

[I want to kiss Autumn. Do you think he’ll say no?]

I froze. My brain just... blanked out for a second.

It was like someone dumped a bucket of ice water over my head. My fingers hovered over the screen, stuck between laughing, crying, or just hurling my phone across the room. Suddenly, everything around me felt too sharp, too loud—like the world was turned up to eleven and I couldn’t turn it down.

Autumn sat beside me, quietly packing up my things. Then, in that calm, practiced voice, he said, “You’re not feeling well because of your period. I asked Aunt Linda to drop off a meal at your place.”

He said it so gently, so matter-of-fact, like he was still the perfect boyfriend. But his eyes never quite met mine, and his voice was flat—like he was reading lines from a script he’d memorized a long time ago.

“Go home and get some rest.”

He didn’t wait for my answer—just zipped up my backpack and set it next to me. The room went quiet, the way it always did when Autumn spoke. I nodded, trying to hang on to whatever dignity I had left.

I grabbed my bag and couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What about you?”

It just slipped out. I hated how small my voice sounded, how much I needed to know.

Autumn was already on his feet, halfway to the door.

“I have things to do. Don’t wait up.”

He didn’t even glance at me as he spoke, just stared down at his phone, fingers tapping fast. I watched his jaw clench, saw a flicker of softness cross his face—for someone else, somewhere else.

It was like watching a stranger—someone I used to know, now keeping his real self for someone else. That hurt more than anything.

I sat there, thinking:

How many times has Autumn ditched me for Zoe Carter now?

I tried to count, but the memories blurred together—missed dinners, last-minute excuses, the way he always seemed to have somewhere better to be. My hands curled into fists in my lap.

The first time was my birthday.

It was supposed to be simple—just a few friends, a cake, candles flickering in the dark. I’d waited all week for that moment, for Autumn to look at me the way he used to.

Just as the candles were lit, Autumn got a call from Zoe.

Her voice, barely holding back sobs: “Autumn, what do I do? I can’t hide my fangs, and so many people…”

I could hear the panic, the way she choked on her tears. Everyone in the room stared at me, waiting to see what I’d do.

Autumn shot up, soothing her over the phone as he rushed out.

He didn’t look at me once.

He was already halfway out the door, phone pressed to his ear, voice low and urgent. The candles sputtered in the draft, wax dripping onto the cake. I just stood there, watching the door swing shut behind him.

It wasn’t until the next day that Autumn showed up—with Zoe.

Zoe’s apology was barely an apology:

“Sorry, Lillian. So many people were staring at my fangs, I got scared and called Autumn. I didn’t know it was your birthday, or I wouldn’t have bothered him.”

She said it with a shrug, her eyes all big and innocent. I could tell she didn’t mean it. It was just something she thought she should say.

Autumn sounded annoyed. “You have a birthday every year, but you can’t be too careful around people. If something like this happens again, call me right away.”

He didn’t even look at me when he said it. His whole focus was on Zoe, his hand on her shoulder, reassuring. I felt invisible.

Zoe stuck out her tongue. “Okay.”

She grinned, a little too pleased with herself. I wanted to scream, but I just bit my tongue and forced a smile.

Then came the math modeling competition.

Each team could only have five members. To bring Zoe in, Autumn dropped me—didn’t even ask.

I’d spent weeks prepping, organizing data, making sure everything was perfect. I was proud of what I’d done—until the day I found out I wasn’t even on the team anymore.

After registration closed, my teammates awkwardly told me the truth as I handed over my neatly organized data.

“Uh, Lillian, your spot went to Zoe.”

“Didn’t the team leader tell you? He said you agreed…”

They wouldn’t meet my eyes. I could feel my cheeks burning, the sting of betrayal settling deep in my chest.

Furious and hurt, I ran to find Autumn—only to see Zoe resting her head on his shoulder, asking, all innocent:

“Isn’t it kind of mean to kick Lillian out? I heard she did a lot of work.”

She looked up at him with those wide, guileless eyes, like she really cared. I knew better.

Autumn steadied her tilting head. “It’s fine. She’s won plenty of awards—one more or less won’t matter.”

His voice was so casual, so dismissive, like everything I’d done was just a footnote. I wanted to scream at him, to shake him until he remembered who I was.

“Didn’t you say you wanted a scholarship? If you’re so worried about her, should I let her back in?”

His tone was almost mocking, daring her to say yes. I could see the calculation in his eyes.

Zoe blushed. “No way! I want the scholarship! But Autumn, I don’t know how to do anything—don’t get tired of me.”

She clung to him, her voice sweet and plaintive. It made my skin crawl.

“I never expected you to do much.”

He brushed her hair back from her face, his touch gentle. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.

Zoe squealed, wrapping her arms around his waist. People in the hallway stared, whispering behind their hands. I felt like I was watching my own life unravel in slow motion.

After half a year by Autumn’s side, Zoe kept finding new ways to ‘repay’ him.

Her favorite phrase was always:

“I want to stay by Autumn’s side for life, to repay him.”

She’d say it to anyone who’d listen, like she was staking her claim. It grated on my nerves, but Autumn never seemed to mind.

Autumn never contradicted her.

He just smiled, letting her say whatever she wanted. It was like he enjoyed being the center of her world.

Zoe arranged to meet Autumn in an empty classroom.

She made sure I’d find out. Made sure I’d be able to see everything.

She was always a step ahead, always making sure I was there to witness every little moment between them. It was cruel, but I couldn’t look away.

Through the door’s window, I could see the slim outline of a girl and Autumn’s pale, handsome face.

They looked like a scene out of a movie—her delicate frame, his sharp jawline, the tension between them so thick I could feel it through the glass. My heart pounded in my ears.

Zoe said something to him, then blushed and stood on tiptoe, reaching up to kiss him.

I watched her lips brush his cheek, then hover over his mouth. My breath caught, my hands shaking.

Autumn looked down at her, unmoving.

Push her away, I begged silently, my throat tight and raw as I stared, numb.

We’d known each other since we were eight—twelve years total, three of them dating.

I replayed our whole story in my head—the afternoons in the park, the late-night study sessions, the way he used to look at me like I was the only person in the world. It all felt so far away now.

Autumn had always been aloof and reserved, almost old-fashioned in his self-control.

He was never the type to show affection in public, never one for grand gestures. It was always just the little things—a hand on my back, a soft word in my ear. I thought that meant something.

It wasn’t until our families arranged the engagement that he finally dared to kiss me—a light brush on my lips.

I remember that moment so clearly—how my heart raced, how I thought it meant we were finally on the same page. I’d never felt so happy, so sure.

No matter how good he was to Zoe, he’d never crossed that line.

I clung to that, holding onto the hope that he still cared for me, even if he was distracted by someone new.

So I kept swallowing my hurt, believing him when he said, “She’s just repaying me.”

Please, push her away.

…Don’t make me look so pathetic.

Don’t make me feel like a clown in this relationship.

I bit my lip, fighting back tears. I just wanted him to remember me, to choose me, just once.

The next moment, I saw Autumn’s gaze flicker.

With a resigned, almost indulgent sigh, he put his hand on her waist, letting her slender fingers curl around his wrist.

Autumn kissed her back—deeper and deeper, his cool face flushed with real desire.

The world tilted. I felt like I was falling, my stomach dropping out from under me. I pressed my hand to my mouth, trying not to sob.

I couldn’t help but gag, tears rolling down my cheeks.

That’s enough.

I didn’t watch any longer. I turned and left.

I sent Autumn one last message:

[Let’s break off the engagement.]

My fingers shook as I hit send. There was no going back now. I wiped my eyes and tried to breathe.