My tone was controlled.
Empty of emotion.
“If you’ll excuse me, I have lectures to attend.”
I turned.
And this time—I walked away.
Each step cost me.
My body protested with every movement.
But I didn’t stop.
Behind me—silence.
She didn’t follow. Didn’t call out.
But I felt it.
Her gaze.
Heavy. Burning.
It pressed into my back like a physical force.
Like invisible needles boring into my skin.
Hatred radiated from her in waves so thick I could almost taste it.
Almost felt it clinging to me as I walked away.
THE REST OF THE DAYwas nothing but torment.
I barely heard the lectures.
My mind refused to stay present.
It kept drifting back to Violet—her threats, the cold certainty in her voice when she promised to expose my location to Ruslan Baranov.
That wouldn’t just cause chaos.
It would be war.
Because Ruslan wouldn’t hesitate.
He would burn Vincenzo’s empire to the ground just to get his hands on me.
My fingers trembled slightly, whether from pain or exhaustion, I couldn’t tell.
My head pounded with every heartbeat.
At exactly 3:00 p.m., the final bell rang.
The sound echoed through the academy like a closing gate.
Students around me shifted, chairs scraping softly, papers being gathered, quiet conversations breaking out in hushed tones as the tension of the day began to unravel.
