Chapter Nineteen
By Monday morning the routine of classes feels heavier, like the halls themselves picked up my mood and decided to carry it. The corridors are bright and loud. Shoes slap stone. Doors bang. Someone laughs too hard at the end of the hall. I keep moving, pretending I don’t feel Viktor’s attention on me even when he isn’t in sight.
He insisted on walking me to the academic building. I let him get as far as the main doors. His hand hovered at the small of my back like a claim. I stepped away and told him I could find my room alone. He didn’t argue. His mouth pressed into a thin line; his eyes stayed on mine a second too long. “I’ll see you later,” he said, and the words felt like a promise and a threat.
I find the stairs and climb to the second floor. Room numbers march alo
