After the court hearing and the investigation, all three of you were suspended. Eduardo reacted angrily, trying to argue, fight, defend your names. Mark, on the other hand, just sat there, arms folded, almost indifferent. As if this was just another line in the code that could be rewritten.

You were stuck at home. Your parents, who had always expected perfection from you, now looked at you sternly as they said “This is all Mark’s fault. You’re not seeing him anymore.”

You didn’t argue. It was pointless. But you were broken inside.

At first, Mark still wrote. A message, a short link, a faint memory from college. Then days went by without a response. He didn’t always answer the phone. Maybe he was working. Maybe he didn’t know what to say. Or maybe he really wasn’t as bothered as you were. The days dragged on. Eduardo tried to call you sometimes, to reassure you that this was only temporary, but the distance between you also grew.