Mara’s pov

I sat down on my bed with my back pressed on the wall. I was holding my knees up to my chest. I was staring straight into nothing.

The room was silent.

My head? Loud. Chaotic. Unhinged.

I could not stop thinking about him— Professor Hayes.

But this time my chest kept becoming tight as everything from earlier kept replaying on a loop—no pause button, no mercy. The way he spoke to me. The way his eyes slid past me like I wasn’t worth stopping for. The way his voice sounded… distant. Polite. Professional. Like I was just another name on his attendance sheet.

I tried to breathe...