My Innocent Love, His Brutal Correction

as seventeen, leaving me

former mentee and a Silicon Valley titan

herton mansion, offering a bew

cally developed a crush on him, confe

kind facade shattered i

and promptly sent me away to ClearPath Academy, a

h was a

tion, and brutal re-education, emerging mo

ée, Eleanor, who immediately launched a campaig

eved her lies over my pleas, dismissing my visible ClearPath sc

are so willing to believe such false

be so utter

ndonment pushed me to one final, desper

finally tore away

fronts the horrifying truth about Clear

, willing to endure my every torment in a desperate, last-di

pte

came on a

nts wer

en storm over the mou

was an orphan. S

ance arrived

rmer mentee, a big na

he executor o

my legal

id, his voice smooth, but with

dest Californian home t

glass and steel,

ave me e

g with designer clothes I

car I was too s

n an elite p

las, the orphaned daughter

his kindness. I

en in that gran

stone fe

a party, a

something sh

ys there. I mistook his calcu

confused, teenage feelings. A crush, an inapprop

it on h

I heard his footsteps, quick a

was a mas

emanded, the letter

y so controlled,

eful, perve

letter for aerospace engineerin

iscipline.

pecial school, a place called

it would

ams, shattered on

ightmare from the

name, gave

made my head fuz

tion. Endless

d it "re-e

y feelings wer

tched me, th

sist, to hold

t pushed

blur of grey walls

day, Julia

peccably dressed, his

me papers. I

ck to the mans

the same, every hair in

r seat on the way to the airport, and now

wo

, sharp, her eyes

e as we stepped

oice cool and precise. "I'm Elea

an

me like a p

tilted, spun compl

st n

ldn't

the house, my

t even colder

n found me i

his shadow long

oice devoid of warmth. "Are those

er. My stupid, c

hrough my chest, so i

oat cl

Path, the shame, the

red, the words tasting

. I had to make

nt, a flicker of something I

Or just

d, a curt, dis

o to you

ay, my back straight,

I was cr

led my mouth. This

oom, the one I'd h

t my roo

iscarded furniture, things

rage

doorway, a slight, kno

th false sympathy. "We had to make some adjustments

ly at the clutter.

ogy was

" I said, m

se coul

t here, an u

ian was attent

her jokes, tou

like a per

ng food around my plate

to draw me int

o quiet. Are you

oked

lass and drank, a prec

n, perfectly alig

again.

echo of the control they'd trie

ss, the water, anyth

ent now," Eleanor remarked, a

licker of something – sa

have had a positiv

and. He didn't wa

dn't s

mumbled, pushin

d to be

om, the only space that was

d a

despera

hide a burner p

earPath had forged

get out.

om its hiding place

me, so potent it

llowed by a w

ne thing. Wh

leep, but my

ds from that night

ul, perve

burned, fr

the door c

w fell acros

li

eaped into

and sharp,

't in the mansion anymore

ning was ins

e makeshift bed, d

shirt, ready to pull it up, t

voice small, broken. "Do

them, one of the staff,

, his face unreadab

his expres

bel

surge of col

name are you do

. The man from that night, the o