CHAPTER 116: INHERITED SINS

"I’m sorry, what?"

Merlina blinked slowly, as if trying to shake water from her ears. Her brain had registered the words, but they refused to connect, floating just out of reach.

"Miss Sanchez, I know this is upsetting, please try to remain calm." His voice held a note of practiced empathy, the kind reserved for students he wouldn’t remember after they left the room.

He was asking her to remain calm?

But her heart was racing, loud in her ears, her hands gripped the sides of the chair like she might fall through the floor. She felt exposed, trapped, like she was in danger but couldn’t see where it was coming from.

"I don’t understand," she said. "I haven’t failed anything. I’ve made up for my missed tests, where is this coming from?"

A hint of emotion passed across the Dean’s face. Pity, maybe. Or discomfort. He glanced at the woman to his left, the one Merlina didn’t recognize and then back at her.

"I’m afraid this isn’t strictly academic," he said.

Merlina stared. "Then what is it?"

The air stopped moving, just long enough to make her wonder if she’d ever exhale again.

The Dean folded his hands. "Miss Sanchez...Belford has never, in its 146 year history, been the subject of sustained national attention. We have never had media trucks outside our gates. Never had alumnis and legal guardians, calling with concerns. Never had online petitions demanding board intervention."

She didn’t speak. Not yet, her mind was still trying to piece together the meaning under his words.

"Your mother was once a respected member of this institution," he continued. "Her sudden reappearance and the revelations that followed, have brought a level of scrutiny none of us could have anticipated."

Merlina’s jaw tensed. Her brows knit as she leaned forward slightly. She still didn’t get it. What any of that had to do with her?

With this?

Her mouth opened, then closed again. She was starting to get impatient.

"Your mother wasn’t just a professor. She was declared dead. And now, apparently, she faked it," he said, voice clipped. "I’m not blaming you for that. But when that’s compounded by her indiscretions with a student, and your father’s involvement in what appears to have been, an attempted murder—"

"You’re expelling me for my parents’ mistakes?" Merlina blinked. It felt like the words were ricocheting around the room, hitting everything but her.

The Dean let out a low breath, more like a warning sigh than sympathy. "Not entirely. You’re not exactly innocent yourself, Miss Sanchez."

She stared at him, stunned.

"You assaulted a student," he said flatly, his voice devoid of judgment but heavy with consequence.

Merlina blinked. "Assaulted?"

The word came out slow, like it didn’t belong to her. She shifted in her seat, the cold rush of disbelief creeping up her spine.

Her mind scrambled for context, for anything that might explain what he meant, but nothing fit. Not until her heart dropped.

"Wait..." she breathed, eyes narrowing. "You mean Conor?"

The Dean didn’t answer. He didn’t need to.

Her pulse roared in her ears. She could still feel the sting in her palm from that night, the blur of fury and heartbreak. The video the mass communication student, Lizzie had recorded. She did hit Conor, in the heat of the moment.

But assault?

"That wasn’t..." Her voice faltered. "I didn’t—he..."

"There’s a video. You were clearly seen striking Conor Lesnar. There are concerns," the Dean went on, folding his hands in front of him. "About patterns. Violence, volatility. Your mother’s affair, your father’s crimes, your public altercation...these aren’t isolated incidents, Miss Sanchez. They’re part of a larger picture, one this institution can no longer ignore."

Merlina’s vision blurred before she even realized her eyes had begun to sting.

It wasn’t just the words, it was how calm he sounded saying them, how clinical. Like her life was a case file being neatly closed.

She tried to swallow, but her throat burned. It hadn’t even been a real fight. One impulsive moment—one slap. And now it was being twisted into something more. Something inherited. Something she couldn’t outrun.

The shame was slow and creeping, heavier with each second. This wasn’t just about her anymore. She was paying the price for their sins, and no one, not even the Dean was pretending otherwise.

Silence dropped over the room like a gavel. Merlina could barely feel her hands. She wasn’t sure if she was breathing.

She sat back like she’d been physically struck. "So, you’re... kicking me out."

"We are facilitating your departure," he said carefully. "Your records will reflect a voluntary withdrawal. You will not be blacklisted. In fact, we’re prepared to help you transfer. Quietly. Smoothly. Anywhere you choose."

He pushed a thick folder across the desk, cold and formal, like instructions for how to ruin your life.

"This isn’t a punishment," he added, "though I understand it may feel that way. It’s a decision made in the best interest of all parties, including you."

He said it like a well-rehearsed line, one he’d probably used before. There was no malice in his voice, just procedure, like this was a box to tick on a long list of uncomfortable conversations. He didn’t look at her like a person, not really. More like a problem he had already filed under ’solved.’

"The board has decided it’s best if your academic future continues elsewhere. You’ll be given assistance with the transfer process. Financial support where applicable. But as of this afternoon...you’re no longer a student at Belford."

Merlina didn’t remember leaving the office. One moment she was still sitting there, blinking rapidly as if that could reverse time, and the next she was outside, wind slapping her cheeks.

She stumbled down the steps of the administrative building, heart thudding behind her ribs, every breath shallow.

Gone.

Just like that. Everything she did just to get here, everything she’d survived, taken from her.

She reached for her phone, fingers numb, almost called her dad out of reflex.

Then remembered.

Prison.

She lowered the phone, swallowing a sob. Her only legal guardian wasn’t even available anymore. For a moment, she just stood there. Alone on the steps. No plan. No safety net.

She thought about texting Craig, but what could he possibly say now? He’d already done more than enough, and she was tired of making her chaos his responsibility.

Then her hand moved slowly, like she wasn’t the one directing it. She opened her contacts. Her thumb hovered over a name she never thought she’d see again, much less use.

MOM (PRIVATE)

Her mother had scribbled the number onto the corner of an envelope before they parted ways, eyes red but dry, voice firm: "Call me if you need me, whenever you’re ready."

Merlina had nodded.

But she never thought she would be needing her this soon. She hesitated one more second, then tapped call.

It rang once.

Twice.

"Hello?" Her mother’s voice was clear. She sounded calm, normal. Like this was any other day. Like she hadn’t been gone for a year.

Merlina barely got the word out. "I—"

"Merlina?" her mom said quickly, voice sharper now, alert. "Is something wrong?"

She looked around the courtyard, still stunned by the finality, then she sat down on the cold stone bench, her hands trembling.

"I’ve just been expelled, Mom," she whispered, her voice cracking. "They’re kicking me out."

The words barely made it out before the tears did. Hot, fast, and helpless. She tried to swallow them down, to breathe through it, but her chest was too tight.

She didn’t know what exactly made her cry, the expulsion or being able to call her mom’s name again. Everything she’d been holding in, the confusion, the shame, the anger, came pouring out in a choked sob.

"I don’t know what to do," she added, quieter this time, like a child again. "I don’t know...what I’m going to do."

There was a pause. Just breathe on the other end of the line. Then, her mother’s voice came through, low and fierce with urgency and love, "Stay right there, Merlina. I’m coming to get you. I’m on my way."

Merlina stayed seated, phone still pressed to her ear long after the call ended. She didn’t even notice Louis approaching until his shadow fell across her shoes.

"Merlina," Louis said softly. "What’s wrong?"

She looked up at him, dazed, like she was still catching up to her own reality. "It’s nothing."

Then, with trembling fingers, she wiped her tears away.

"Hey," he pressed, concern deepening in his voice. "Did you just say you got expelled?"

She blinked at him, slowly shaking her head, as if that alone could erase the moment. "I... uh... can I tell you about it later, please? I’m not sure what’s happening myself."

Her voice was polite. Too polite. Too calm for the wreckage she was standing in. She sniffed quietly, a trembling inhale that betrayed everything her words tried to hide.

Louis hesitated, his eyes scanning her face, but when she wouldn’t meet his gaze, he finally nodded and stepped back.

Merlina turned away, wiping beneath her eyes. She hoisted her bag over her shoulder like it weighed a thousand pounds, her shoulders curving inward as if trying to make herself smaller.

She didn’t say goodbye, just walked slowly across the stone courtyard, swallowed by the emptiness of it.

Louis let out a long breath and turned, heading back toward the main academic building. As he walked past one of the side windows, something caught his eye.

Inside, through the glass, Craig Lesnar sat in one of the study lounges, his Laptop open, eyes narrowed in concentration. He was flipping through tabs like nothing had happened. Like the day wasn’t already ruined.

Louis stopped. For a moment, he just stared. Then his jaw tightened. His hand curled into a fist at his side.

Then he stepped in front of Craig, "Why does everything you touch turn to dust?"

Craig looked up, one brow lifting lazily. He pulled out one earbud, "Not today, Louis."

But Louis wasn’t finished. He moved closer. "Tell me, was it worth it? Everything you did to get her. The games, the plans, whatever the hell you pulled to make her trust you. Was it worth it... just to ruin her in the end?"

Craig’s expression barely changed. "Give it a rest."

He wasn’t going to entertain Louis, not today. Not anymore. It was one of the promises he’d made to Merlina, back in Paris when she was listing out funny rules for their relationship.

No scenes. No drama. No cursing those they had hurt. No adding fuel to the fire she was already drowning in.

So Craig swallowed the words that burned the back of his throat. Let Louis rant. Let him rage.

He could take it. For her.

Louis continued, "She’s being cyberbullied because of you. Her name’s all over those forums, those gossip accounts the minute she associated with you. You brought all this to her doorstep."

Craig’s voice stayed quiet, annoyingly even. "Are you done?"

That was when Louis stopped. Something in Craig’s tone didn’t match. Too relaxed. Too unbothered.

He stared at him. Hard.

"You don’t know, do you?" he said slowly.

Craig frowned, some of the calm draining from his face. "Know what?"

Louis sighed, voice low and seething. "Merlina just got expelled."