The world seemed to have lost its vibrancy. My eyes, heavy with a weariness that went beyond the usual exhaustion of a college student, felt as if they were perpetually draped in a veil of gray. My actions were listless, a mere shadow of my usual energetic self. My mind, consumed by a whirlwind of emotions, couldn't even register the words our professor was spewing.

"Ms. Montellano!"

The sharp sound of his voice, accompanied by the weight of his hand slamming onto my desk, jolted me back to reality. I blinked, startled, my cheeks flushing with shame. "I'm sorry, sir," I mumbled, my voice barely a whisper.

Japs, my ever-vigilant...