Novel's POV

It had been two days since I’d seen her, Emilia Torres. I had been buried in exams, and today was the final hurdle before the break. Before heading back to Alexei’s, I retreated to my favorite spot on campus to breathe.

But my mind wouldn’t stay quiet. It drifted, as it always did, to Alexei. Does he actually like me, or am I just a fling? The thought clouded everything. I wanted him to love me, but a darker voice whispered that there was nothing in me to love. That was what they had always told me. The memory hit me like a splash of ice water.

“Useless,”...