CHAPTER 39
They say when someone wrongs you, time will reveal their regret.
But what they don’t say is: regret doesn’t always come with an apology. Sometimes it comes with awkward silence, lingering stares, or a random message like:
“Just checking on you.”
It’s funny how the people who plotted my collapse are now so afraid of my calm.
I came back to campus on a Thursday, dressed in black from head to toe. Not mourning—marking. That’s how I move now. Every step, every look, every word is intentional. The girl they used to laugh at for being “too reserved” is no longer quiet. She’s calculating.
And they feel it.
⸻
Steph saw me first.
I was walking past the student center when she turned the corner. Her face froze. Not the usual fake-smile-freeze she mastered. This time, it was tight
