A Sacrifice Hidden For Three Years

Sparks

ence mirrored the c

had been unearthed, raw a

yet a lifetime ago, wh

he sprawling, ivy-covered campus-a world

re hall or library, but in a dim

t at the university cafeteria wh

d forward, my small frame

man cornering

I had no weapon-just my wits an

lass, twisting his arm, throwing him off bala

ursing, and disappea

rich voice broke through

inst the alley wall, his arms cross

n undeniable spark of amusement-and so

with a mix of emba

watching-he'd been o

pomp and circumstance, but with a cas

'm impressed." He

nt, then shook it. His

Donovan found ways

my classes, offering to

how up at the same la

g, and utterly captivating

charisma and wit tha

he campus lake, he turned to me, his gaze intense. "Hazel Sp

did a s

undeniable pull, th

up at the towering trees, trying to hide the

ho'd rather save a stranger than run from a fight. Because you never ba

xpected, but it was honest

o a whirlwi

mpus for us-a place where we could escape

fectly ours-filled with shared

simply existed in each other's space-the kind of

, confirmed a love I ne

as on a video ca

explained that our grandmother's medical bill

h that familiar pa

y scholarship and part-time job

my hand. "Don't worry about it, Hazel," he said, h

an, no. It's too much.

flared up. I couldn't acc

hough fleeting, filled me with cold

in my eyes, the

Hazel. And this isn't charity-it's what people who love each other do." He pau

f we do break up? Then I'll owe you a fortune.

s face. "Then you'll owe me a fortune, Hazel Sparks. B

ful words chase

w Donovan came fro

ent of his family's wealth, the s

the kind, generous, fiercely

noon when I was filling out paper

filled with bureaucratic r

tion was fast-tracked and

donation" that had streamlined the entire process-specifically m

subtle shift in my understand

the Gordon, heir to an empire that could

as both exhilarat

ction-it was a bridge across a vast social class