(Cole’s 3rd-person POV)

The corridor outside the faculty offices was quiet—too quiet for a late afternoon. Cole hated the silence. It made every thought echo harder, sharper, heavier.

He had come here with one intention:

Clear the air with Jacob.

End the tension.

Act like two mature adults who didn’t need to stare each other down like rivals in some cheap romance drama.

But Jacob wasn’t in his office.

And the silence wouldn’t stop buzzing.

Cole knocked again, then pushed the door open a little. The lights were on. Papers everywhere. A jacket thrown carelessly over the back of a chair. Coffee half-finished on the table.

Clearly, Jacob left in...