The corridor lights flickered softly as students milled about their evening activities—some carrying books, others lingering in small groups, their laughter echoing down the long hallway. But tonight, the air felt brittle with tension, as though expectant of something unsaid, something forbidden.
Daisy entered from the east wing, her steps light but uneasy. Her heart felt broken in half. She had come here hoping to see Smith again, perhaps to salvage what little hope remained in her, to prove that maybe she too had a right to his affections. But instead, she saw him before even reaching the dorm entrances—walking side by side with Teresa, toward Smith’s quarters. Their silhouettes moved in gentle harmony under the soft gold glow of the corridor’s lighting. Smith’s hand rested lightly on T
