Legally Not Yours

The Devil Has Returned

POV: Leah Rosewood

I hadn’t seen Jared all morning, which should’ve been a relief. But silence was never safe with him. Silence meant plotting or worse — waiting.

Carlson, on the other hand, had been nothing but generous. He’d brought me coffee, offered to look over my notes, and even told me I looked “resilient.” Whatever the hell that meant.

“You holding up?” he asked as we walked toward our final lecture.

I gave him a half-hearted smile. “Define ‘holding up.’”

He chuckled. “Surviving Jared. The workload. The… everything.”

I didn’t answer. I was too tired. Too hollow. I just wanted to get through the day without something falling apart.

But fate had other plans.

It happened the moment I stepped into class. The chatter died and there, at the front of the room, writing her name on the whiteboard in looping, dramatic script was—

Eva, my mother.

I stopped walking. My bag slipped from my shoulder and hit the floor with a muted thud.

No.

No, no, no.

She turned around, all teeth and elegance and money she didn’t earn.

“Hello, class,” she said sweetly. “My name is Eva Rosewood. I’ll be your interim professor for the rest of the semester.”

My heart slammed into my ribs. I couldn’t breathe. Jared, already seated in the back, laughed. Like he’d just won the best game of his life.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I whispered.

Carlson blinked beside me. “Wait... that’s your—?”

“Don’t.”

I walked stiffly to my seat, every nerve in my body on fire.

Eva’s eyes flicked to mine once. Her smile sharpened like a blade.

The class dragged on. Jared spent half of it smirking in my direction, mouthing things like ‘Mommy issues?’ and ‘Should I call her stepmom yet?’

I ignored him. Barely.

Carlson sat beside me, pretending to take notes, but I could feel him watching me. I wanted to scream. I wanted to vanish. But mostly — I wanted to know how.

How did she know where I studied? Why was she here? Who the hell let this happen?

After class, Eva pounced.

“Leah, sweetheart,” she said in her brightest, fakest tone, “a quick word?” I didn’t move. She gestured toward the desk. “Just a little academic housekeeping.”

I walked over, every step feeling like betrayal.

“I noticed you’ve missed a few participation points,” she said. “And while I’d hate to report anything to the scholarship committee, I think I can offer you an alternative.”

My mouth was dry. “Alternative?”

“A fifty-page review of this semester’s lectures. Due in two days.”

“Fifty— Eva—”

“Professor Rosewood,” she corrected. Jared snorted in the background and then she said it. “I only want what’s best for my daughter.”

The room went silent. Even Jared stopped laughing. I wanted to cry. Or scream. Or run.

Instead, I clenched my jaw. “Fine.”

“Wonderful,” she said. “I look forward to seeing your work.”

* * *

Outside, I shoved through the doors and didn’t stop until I was halfway down the hall.

“Leah— wait—” Carlson caught up with me, touching my elbow.

I shook him off. “Did you know?”

“What? No, of course not. How am I supposed to know?”

“She shows up out of nowhere? Get a job at this school? Just happened to be assigned to my class? What the hell is happening with my life these days? I’ve been constantly being let down!”

His eyes softened. “I swear, I had no idea.” But something in his voice, too calm, too ready, made my skin crawl.

“She just said she wants what’s best for me,” I muttered. “Eva has never wanted what’s best for anyone but herself.”

“I’ll help,” Carlson said, stepping in front of me. “Whatever you need, research, note-sharing, printing, I’ll cover you.”

I stared at him.

His smile was perfect. His tone is sincere. But something underneath felt… off. My gut tells me that something is so fucking off, or maybe someone is so fucking off.

And I realized at that moment, I didn’t trust anyone.

Eva is really good at manipulating situations and she’s not here by coincidence. She always calculates her moves and I’m sure she has a reason why she decided to come here after being gone for years.

I don’t know how she’s able to have an access here, but surely anyone could help this devil to attend this school as the professor.

So I don’t trust anyone anymore. Not Jared. Not Eva. And maybe... not even Carlson.