Belle's POV

The hallway leading to the Director’s office felt longer than usual. Each step echoed ominously, reminding me that what I was about to do was not just difficult, but irreversible. My heart pounded in my chest as I reached the door with the gold-plated name sign, Dr. Perri (Snr). I took a deep breath, squaring my shoulders before knocking twice and then pushing the door open.

As I stepped inside the office, Dr. Perri, my father, was seated at his large mahogany desk, his head buried in a stack of papers. The sun streaming through the windows highlighted the silver strands in his hair, the years of stress...