When college resumed after the Christmas break, Emilia, haunted by the New Year's Eve nightmare, retreated further into herself. The brief spark of confidence she had found, the joy of new friendships, had been brutally extinguished.
She kept her head down, moving with a quiet determination that bordered on desperation. In her classes, she purposefully moved seats and sat at the back, seeking anonymity, positioning herself as far away as possible from her male lecturers.
Every polite glance, every casual interaction, was now tinged with a terrifying potential, a memory of Leonardo's chilling rage.
Serena, the vibrant redhead whose malicious words had set off the terrifying chain of events, tried to approach her on campus. She called out Emilia's name, attempted to catch her eye in the
