The hallway was silent after Ethan Blackwood stormed off, but the air between Maya and Leo felt heavy, it like something important had cracked open. Leo’s words still echoed: “I don’t care… maybe, just maybe, it’s time we stopped hiding completely.” It hit like a small explosion—quiet but impossible to ignore.

Maya stared at him, her chest tight. Her heart was pounding, not just with fear but with something dangerously close to hope. Leo’s eyes still burned with the fire of ...