That night, Zein didn't stay in the office.
She walked.
Alone.
Through the darker parts of Hell University where fewer people dared to go, where silence wasn't just quiet—it was suffocating.
The wind brushed past her again, but this time it didn't feel like a warning. It felt like memory.
And she hated memories.
Because they brought back things she had buried.
Voices.
Pain.
Loneliness.
Her steps slowed slightly as she reached the edge of the old courtyard, her gaze distant, her thoughts slipping further than she intended, and for the first time since she arrived—
She didn't feel in control.
"You shouldn't be here."
The voice pulled her back instantly.
She turned.
Ace.
Of course.
"Do you follow everyone?" she asked, her tone returning to normal.
"Only the ones who don't know when to stop," he replied.
Zein looked away briefly.
"I wasn't doing anything."
"That's the problem."
She frowned slightly.
"Meaning?"
Ace stepped closer, his gaze sharper now.
"You don't react," he said.
"You don't break. You don't let anything show."
A pause.
Then—
"That's not strength," he added quietly.
"That's damage."
The word hit harder than anything else.
Zein's expression hardened instantly.
"Don't analyze me."
"I'm not analyzing," he said.
"I'm noticing."