Chapter 84 0084

• The echoes of applause still reverberated in my ears as I exited the cafeteria, the weight of realization crashing against me like an unexpected tide. The students were buzzing with excitement, but the moment felt as if it had ripped open a wound I had been trying desperately to ignore.
• Niyla stood alongside Liam, vibrant and glowing, yet that light felt absent from my chest, swallowed by the shadows of my past mistakes. I had felt her pain, shame, and longing, and yet, I had chosen to turn away.
• As I wandered through the hallways, I could feel the weight of their eyes on me—whispers of my past gusting like breathless winds. I pressed my palms against the coolness of the walls, grounding myself as I navigated the memories flooding my mind.