~Laurent
The cafeteria was a graveyard of sound. The clatter of trays and laughter from moments ago had vanished — replaced by the heavy drag of my own heartbeat.
The men in suits didn’t loosen their grip as they turned me toward the exit. My chair screeched against the floor, a sound that made the silence worse.
Every eye followed.
Whispers started to rise behind me — small at first, then growing, spreading like fire.
My jaw tightened. I didn’t look at them. I couldn’t.
But as we reached the door, I caught a glimpse of someone standing at the far end of the room. Ciela.
She wasn’t saying anything. Just watching. Her face unreadable — shock, worry, something else I couldn’t name.
For a second, the noise faded again.
I wanted to tell her it wasn’t true. That I hadn’t done anything.
