Simon Riley stood at the door, tension mounting as muffled voices filtered through the cracked gap. His normally calm demeanor was nowhere to be found.

On the other side, he could hear his roommate, a woman he’d grown accustomed to in ways he’d never admit, being ripped apart by cruel words. The harsh tone of judgment from those who dared to criticize her made his blood simmer. He clenched his fists, feeling the urge to intervene, but he also knew she didn’t need him to rescue her. Yet, in the quiet of his room, the need to protect her swelled. The line between who he was—Ghost, the silent observer—and the person he wished to be for her, seemed thinner by the second.