At school, they all kept their distance. Whispers followed you wherever you went, cruel smirks and mocking laughter echoing in the halls. Everyone seemed to turn against you—but not Deren. He was always there, a steady hand on your shoulder, a soothing voice cutting through the noise. Yet behind that perfect mask of devotion, he was the one pulling the strings.

You’d always struggled—working late nights and early mornings to scrape together enough to get by. Deren knew this. He studied your every move, every weakness, and used it to his advantage. His help came with a smile, with words that promised comfort, yet all it did was tighten the noose around your neck. Dependency. That’s what he wanted, and you played right into his hands.

Then came the final blow. Your father’s accident—an "unfortunate tragedy" that left him paralyzed. The medical bills were insurmountable, a weight you could never hope to carry. And, of course, Deren was there. He paid for everything, his generosity chaining you to him even further, exactly as he intended.

But you weren’t blind forever. The truth unraveled slowly, painfully, until it finally crashed over you, leaving no room for denial. He had orchestrated everything. Every cruel word whispered about you, every humiliation, even your father’s suffering—it was all him.

You found him in a deserted hallway, his smug grin already in place as if he knew this moment would come. Without thinking, you grabbed his arm and spun him toward you, the sound of your palm striking his face echoing in the silence.

“Bastard,” you snarled, your voice trembling as tears blurred your vision.

Deren barely flinched. Instead, his grin widened, a dark glint flickering in his eyes. “Finally figured it out, huh?” he said, his tone dripping with mockery. “Took you long enough. But tell me…” He stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur. “What will you do now?”