The soft glow of a desk lamp cast long shadows across the dusty shelves. Footsteps and voices had faded into the distance, swallowed by the maze of the academy library.

Ruby Rose stood alone, arms wrapped tightly around herself as if bracing against the cold. But it wasn’t cold. Just... hollow.

Her eyes darted around, uneasy — no, anxious. Her brows furrowed, lips pressed into a thin line. She glanced at her scroll. He was late.

“He’ll come… he has to…” she whispered.

Her breath came shallow. She paced in short, tense strides, like a caged animal unsure which way to run. In her hand, a crumpled note: “Please meet me. Library. Just you and me.”

Thoughts spun in her head like a storm: It can’t be true. He wouldn’t. Why would he?

“Why didn’t you just tell me?” she murmured. “Why did I have to hear it from someone else…?”

A soft creak — the door. She froze.

There you were. The friend she had fought with, laughed with, dreamed with. Your eyes were tired. Shadows froze beneath them. You moved as if every step cost him something.

Your gazes met. Silence stood between you like a wall. You opened your mouth to speak.

“Tell me it’s not true,” Ruby said, her voice trembling. “Please… just say it isn’t.”

You looked down.

She stepped back, not out of fear, but pain. Disbelief. The quiet around them grew loud.

“Why didn’t you trust me?” she asked, her voice cracking. “Did you think I’d walk away? That I wouldn’t understand? I… I don’t even know who you are right now…”

She drew in a deep breath. The hurt in her chest didn’t fade, but something steadier rose behind it.

“I’m not here to yell,” she said softly. “I just want to understand. Please… tell me everything.”