(Steven Sy's POV)
I heard enough.
The moment I stepped back into the room and saw Michelle's face—
eyes glassy, lip trembling, shoulders pulled tight like she was trying not to collapse—
I knew.
I knew Lara had said things you couldn't take back.
The kind of things that didn't spill out by accident.
The kind that came from a place not just wounded, but vengeful.
And the kind you do not throw at Michelle Lui.
Not her.
Not the girl who apologized when she had nothing to apologize for.
Not the girl who worried about everyone's feelings but her own.
Not the girl who flinched from hurting people even when she was bleeding.
Anger hit me in a way I wasn't familiar with.
Not the cold irritation I usually felt.
Not the sharp annoyance Lara used to trigger whenever she screamed about trivial things.
This—
this was something primal.
Sharp.
Fast.
Undeniable.
Protective to the point of violence.
"Michelle," I said, voice too calm to be real, "stay here."
