Chapter 51
Vanya
The door still half-opened, letting the night air crawl through the room like a whisper that wouldn’t let me rest.
I sat there for a moment, frozen, staring at the space where he should’ve been. This wasn’t the first time. It had been happening more and more—him leaving late, coming back after midnight, or not returning at all until just before dawn. But this time, something in me snapped.
No more guessing.
I shoved the blanket aside and swung my legs off the bed, heart pounding. My hands fumbled in the drawer until they found the slim torch I kept hidden beneath my folded undershirts. I clicked it on, the faint glow barely illuminating my path. Quiet as a shadow, I stepped out into the hall, pulling the door shut behind me.
The corridor was silent. The academy alway
