Why did she save him? Of all people… Why him? Justin’s mind spun with questions, but none came with answers. Guilt gnawed at him like rust. She should’ve hated him—after everything. And yet, she’d thrown herself into danger for him. Why? He wanted to ask her. Needed to. But the words felt foreign on his tongue. So instead, he said nothing. Pretended it never happened. Pretended he hadn’t watched her bleed for him. But now, seeing her dragged through the mud online—because of him—made him sick. They twisted the knife wound she earned protecting him into something scandalous and vile. He parted his lips, about to speak, to tell the truth— RING. The director’s phone cut through the tension like a blade. He answered, nodded slowly, then exhaled. “Alright. The issue’s been clarified. Le

