The room had emptied like someone pulled the plug. Everyone scattered to corners and bunks, avoiding eye contact with me like I was infected. They'd all seen enough. Believed enough.
No one said my name. No one looked directly at me.
The silence was worse than shouting.
I walked out slow, my legs stiff like they didn't belong to me. My body was still buzzing from what had just happened…twenty minutes of chaos, whispers, and judgment. The wildcard. Me. The one they thought was playing them all.
I made it to the restroom and locked the door behind me.
The cracked mirror greeted me with a version of myself I barely recognized…flushed face, red eyes. My hands gripped the sink until my knuckles turned pale.
That face in the mirror wasn't me.
That was the villain everyone had just decided I was.
A soft knock pulled me back to the moment.
I didn't answer. Didn't move.
But then
"I don't believe them."
Zaara.
I blinked. Let the words soak in before turning and unlocking the door.
