로그인The silence didn’t last.It shattered.“You think someone knows everything… and you just came here like this?” Christiana’s voice cut through the room, sharp and controlled—but barely.John blinked, caught off guard by her tone.“I came here because this concerns you too,” he said.Christiana let out a short, disbelieving laugh.“Concerns me?” she repeated.Veronica stood frozen near her bed, eyes moving between them, unsure whether to stay or disappear.Christiana stepped forward, her gaze locked on John now.“No,” she said firmly.“This concerns you.”John frowned.“What does that even mean?”Christiana’s expression hardened.“It means this wouldn’t be happening if you knew how to keep things under control,” she said.That hit.John’s jaw tightened.“I am trying to control it,” he replied.“By doing what?” she shot back instantly.“Running around and creating more problems?”Veronica shifted uncomfortably.“Maybe I should—”“Stay,” Christiana said without looking at her.Her focus n
Night didn’t bring rest.It brought pressure.The room was dark again, but not silent.Not anymore.Christiana lay on her bed, staring into the ceiling, her thoughts moving too fast to settle. Every word from earlier replayed in her mind—Joy’s calm confidence, Veronica’s fear, John’s hesitation.It was all closing in.Across the room, Veronica shifted quietly.Not asleep.Not at peace.Christiana noticed.Of course she did.“You’re awake,” she said into the darkness.Veronica froze slightly.Then—“Yes.”Her voice was soft.Careful.A pause followed.Then Christiana sat up slowly, her eyes adjusting to the dim light.“You’ve been quiet,” she said.Veronica hesitated.“I don’t think I should talk much,” she replied.Christiana’s lips curved faintly.“Because of earlier?”Silence.That was enough.Christiana stood and walked slowly toward her.Each step measured.“You’re scared of me now,” she said.Veronica shook her head quickly.“No… I just— I don’t want problems.”Christiana stopped
The room was supposed to be empty.Christiana pushed the door open quietly, not expecting anything—just silence, just space, just a moment to breathe away from everything building inside her.But the moment she stepped in—She stopped.Something was off.The air felt… different.Veronica sat on her bed.Back slightly turned.Shoulders tense.Her movements quick—then suddenly still.Christiana frowned.“Veronica?”The name came out slowly.Veronica froze.Completely.Then she turned.Too fast.Her eyes widened the moment she saw Christiana.Her face flushed deep.Her breathing uneven.“Christiana—” she stammered.Silence filled the room.Heavy.Uncomfortable.Christiana didn’t move.Didn’t speak immediately.She just looked at her.Really looked.And something clicked.Not because of what she saw directly—But because of everything else.The tension in Veronica’s body.The panic in her eyes.The way she had been caught—Mid-something she didn’t want seen.Christiana’s gaze sharpened.“
The silence didn’t break.It stretched.Longer than it should.Christiana sat on her bed, her back straight, her gaze unfocused—but her mind sharp, active, alive.Across from her, Joy lay back, one arm resting behind her head, staring at the ceiling like nothing had shifted.But everything had.Neither of them spoke.Not because there was nothing to say—But because too much had already been said.Christiana exhaled slowly.Then finally—“You knew I would go to him.”Joy didn’t turn.Didn’t even blink.“Yes,” she said simply.That answer landed harder than expected.Christiana’s eyes narrowed slightly.“And you didn’t try to stop me?”Now Joy turned her head slightly, her gaze sliding toward Christiana.“Why would I?” she asked.A pause.“I wanted to see what you would do.”That irritated her.Christiana stood up slowly.“So I’m just an experiment to you now?” she said.Joy sat up slightly, resting her elbow on the bed.“Everything is,” she replied.Christiana scoffed.“That’s sick.”
Joy knew the moment Christiana walked in.Not because of the door.Not because of the sound.But because of the shift.The air changed.Subtle.But unmistakable.Christiana stepped into the room quietly, closing the door behind her with a soft click.Her movements were calm.Too calm.Joy didn’t look up immediately.She stayed seated on her bed, flipping a page of the book in her hand—though she hadn’t been reading it.“You’re back early,” Joy said without looking up.Christiana didn’t answer right away.Instead, she walked further into the room, her steps slow, controlled.Then—“I didn’t know I had a curfew,” she replied.Joy’s lips curved faintly.She closed the book gently and finally looked up.And when their eyes met—She saw it.That shift.Her gaze sharpened slightly.“Interesting,” Joy murmured.Christiana didn’t react.She moved to her side of the room and sat down on the bed, her back straight, her expression unreadable.But Joy wasn’t fooled.“You went to see him,” she sai
The morning felt different.Not softer.Not calmer.Heavier.Christiana didn’t wait.She didn’t overthink.Didn’t hesitate.Because if she did—She might change her mind.And she couldn’t afford that.Her steps were steady as she walked down the corridor, her heartbeat loud in her chest but her face calm.Controlled.She stopped in front of his office door.A pause.Just one.Then she knocked.Inside—John looked up instantly.“Come in.”The door opened.And when he saw her—Everything else disappeared.“Christiana…”Her name left his lips like something fragile.She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.Slowly.Deliberately.Silence filled the room.But this silence—Was different from before.It wasn’t tense.It wasn’t uncertain.It was charged.They stood there, looking at each other.Both aware.Both understanding.“You came,” John said quietly.Christiana tilted her head slightly.“I told you I wasn’t done,” she replied.That sent something through him.A mix of relief.







