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Chapter Twenty-Three

Author: Onuorah Linda
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-08 22:39:09

Carolyn’s POV

The moment I opened my eyes that morning, something felt off.

There was a strange silence in the air—too thick, too still, as if the world outside had taken a pause. I blinked the sleep from my eyes, rubbing my sore shoulder. The bed was still warm, my body heavy with exhaustion from the intense debates over the past three days. My head throbbed faintly, probably from nerves more than anything else.

Today was the final day.

The day we were supposed to prove ourselves and represent our school in front of the whole country.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stretched. After taking my bath, dressing up, and putting on my shoes, I was ready for the day. That’s when I realized something was wrong.

I couldn’t open the door.

I tried again—twisting the knob harder, jiggling it, pulling and pushing—but it wouldn’t budge. I stepped back and stared at it, my heart slowly beginning to race.

What the hell?

Was the door... locked from the outside?

Panic began to slither int
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    J.J.’s POVI knew something was off the moment I stepped onto school grounds. Of course, I have already heard from Carolyn how Emma had told the whole school that she was sleeping with me.Walking to class made me uncomfortable. No, I was uncomfortable walking to class.Maybe it was the way people shifted when I walked past, the sudden hush in a hallway that usually buzzed like a hive. Or perhaps it was just instinct. You know when someone you care about is being talked about—you feel it in your bones.Then I saw her.Carolyn.Back turned, arms folded tight across her chest like a shield. She stood near her locker while two girls leaned against the wall like they owned the school. Belinda was one of them, and her mouth was moving too fast, like she was trying to make her words hit harder. I didn’t hear everything. But I heard enough.“—shouldn’t even be here. First she gets with J.J, then plays victim like she’s some lost little lamb.”Another girl giggled. “Bet she liked it. Girls li

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