Rachel POV
The manor gates opened as our car approached, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the driveway.
I leaned my head against the window, exhausted. My eyes were still puffy despite splashing cold water on my face before leaving campus, and my chest felt hollow—scraped clean by tears and shame.
Eli's words kept replaying. The crowd's stares. Mark's silent intervention.
I wondered what he'd written in his report. How much detail he'd included. Whether Damien would be angry.
The car stopped smoothly at the main entrance. Mark opened my door, his expression as neutral as always, but something in his eyes seemed almost... sympathetic.
"Mrs Montrel," he said quietly.
I stepped out, hugging my bag to my chest. The manor loomed before me—grand, beautiful, and suddenly
