The moment the words fell, tears finally spilled out of control, sliding down my cheeks and dripping onto the admission letter. They spread quickly, blurring the solemn lettering into indistinct smudges.
I didn’t even have time to wipe them away.
Regret, guilt, and unbearable pain crashed down almost simultaneously.
All the strength drained from my body in an instant. I collapsed into the chair, my back rigid, my gaze hollow and despairing, as if the entire world had completely fallen apart in that very moment.
Only now did I truly realize that the harm I had caused Aria ran far deeper than I had ever imagined.
These certificates, this admission letter, were not honors.
They were evidence.
Evidence of a crime I would never be able to atone for.
My body swayed, my vision suddenly go
