(ETHAN’s POV)
The day started like every other Tuesday—the kind of day I knew I was supposed to care about, but didn’t.
College was a blur of lectures I barely listened to and assignments I copied at the last second. Mom thought sending me to a private program would straighten me out, keep me “focused on my future.” But the truth was, my future was on pause. I didn’t care about lecture halls, or professors, or projects that would never matter to me once I powered on my console.
So instead of dragging myself to class, I stayed home. Curtains drawn, headset on, thumbs glued to the controller, I spent the morning drowning myself in a marathon of digital warfare. Kills and victories stacked up on my screen, but the more I played, the more the walls of the mansion around me pressed in.
Mom
