Noah stuttered, the words catching in his throat as he felt the weight of her intense gaze. He quickly turned his head to the side, unable to maintain eye contact as his face heated up.
The silence of the small sitting room suddenly felt suffocating, punctuated only by the distant, rhythmic ticking of the clock on the wall.
"I… didn't want you to worry," he finally muttered, his voice barely audible.
Emily's brows knitted together, her frown deepening into an expression of disbelief.
"You… didn't want me to worry?" she repeated, her voice rising slightly with a mix of exhaustion and indignation.
She took a half-step toward him, her hands clenching into small fists at her sides.
"Do you have any idea how much I've searched for you all over the academy? I went to every classroom, the library, even the training grounds... until I finally learned from an instructor that you've been suspended!"
