Chapter 32. Charity I Didn’t Want

Aurora’s POV

The next day at school, I was prepared for the worst. I had braced myself for whispers, for pointed fingers, for hushed conversations in the hallways where my name would slip through their lips like a scandal waiting to explode. But when I stepped onto campus, there was nothing.

No rumors. No knowing glances. No laughter hidden behind cupped hands. It was as if yesterday had never happened, and that—somehow—was more unnerving than the alternative.

I kept expecting someone to pull me aside, someone to hint at the things they had overheard, but the only thing I got were the usual morning indifference, the same casual conversations about homework and pop quizzes, the same meaningless chatter that suddenly felt too normal in a way that sent a chill down my spine. It wasn’t until I reached my locker that I realized something was off, truly off.

“Hey, Aurora,” a girl from my English class called out, her voice hesitant, almost careful. “Principa