Listen to Lovely by Billie Eilish and Khalid.

I spent my afternoon in my room, doing my last project. Morris came every thirty minutes to check on me.

After following up with a doctor, we went back to the hospital and had my stitches removed. My feet felt better. No pain, and only a few scabs were left behind. We took a walk down the hallway to exercise my legs. I felt like a baby taking her first steps; it was a weird feeling at first, but then I got used to it and began to walk on my own with no help. I was relieved I could finally return to school. I had missed a lot.

I got my things ready for the next day and watched monkeys doing adorable stuff on a geographical channel. Adrian didn't show up that day, so I was stuck with Tristan, who made me a little uneasy after the bruises I had seen a few days back.

I wanted to know what was going on in his head. There was just something about him. He seemed to be in a world no one was part of. He had been avoiding me since he'd caught me staring at his wrist during breakfast. He was only available when I needed him to carry me around. I had gone days without even seeing him in the house. It was like I was living with a ghost. And when I got the chance to see him, he looked annoyed by my presence and wouldn't even speak to me. Sometimes, he stayed in his room the whole day and left for work before I woke up. He didn't like being around me. The feeling was mutual anyway. It just made me curious about his reasons. Only a few days left, and I'd be out of there.

I had always wanted to live on my own, but now, I was terrified as I thought of what my life would be like when I left here and got my own place.

"I choose to release the past and look toward the good that awaits me," I whispered to myself as I read the affirmation card. I took a deep breath and stared outside the glass wall, savoring the sun's scorching rays.

I was deceiving myself with those words. I really didn't know what to expect after I left here.

The pregnancy tests arrived on Tuesday. Vina had ordered them late. I called her on FaceTime as I opened the package. She was at her workplace but stepped outside to answer the call.

"You bought five?" I asked as I brought out the packets.

"Yeah, all from different companies."

I shook my head and laughed at her. I followed the directions and took all five tests. I set a timer and waited anxiously for the result. Vina told me about her encounter with an annoying customer and how she almost got fired for talking back and cursing him in Spanish.

My heart skipped when the timer beeped. I approached the counter where all five tests were lying.

"What do they say? Let me see," Vina asked.

"One line means negative, right?"

"Yes."

"It's all negative." I sighed in relief and showed her. For a moment, I'd thought they would come out positive. Wasn't that the weirdest feeling ever? To be scared of being pregnant when you hadn't seen a dick in three years?

"How long did you wait for the last one to read?"

"Three minutes."

"And it turned positive later?"

"Yeah, I don't know how. It was negative when I gave it to Ciara, but when I came down, it was suddenly positive."

"That's weird."

"Should I take a picture and send it to my parents?" I asked, feeling a little bit hopeful.

"They might think it's fake. Tristan is the only one who can clear this mess right now."

I sighed and sat on the floor. "Do you think they will believe him?"

"He started it, so why not?"

"I want them to know I have really changed. It sucks when people judge you based on your past mistakes and won't believe you are no longer the person they think you are," I mumbled.

"I believe you, Chlo."

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Gotta go before I give my boss another reason to fire me."

"Okay, I will talk to you later."

I ended the call and sat down there for a while, just thinking about my family and how my past had come back to haunt me.

I stared at Tristan's wrist during dinner, and the bruises were gone, but the cut was still visible. My eyes trailed up his exposed arms from his muscle shirt.

"How did it go at the doctor?" he asked, drawing my attention away from his wrist.

I was surprised he'd asked. He'd probably done it to distract me. I was certain he didn't care. Once he was done with whatever he wanted to do with me, he wouldn't bat an eye before kicking me out.

"It went well."

He nodded and kept staring at me. He looked away when Morris came to serve him some salad.

What is his secret? Why destroy your wedding? I asked myself, still staring at him.

Tristan was a handsome being, too hunky for my liking. I hated that he was good-looking. My eyes couldn't help but stare sometimes. I would picture him as Shrek from now on.

"If you don't feel like eating, then leave," he said, looking pissed.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked, looking around me.

He said something beneath his breath and continued eating.

"Are you by any chance having an affair? Is that why you stopped the wedding? And when you didn't find your mistress in the church, you picked me?" I asked, leaning closer on the table. "Are you still seeing her? Does she know about me? I demand an apology from her right now," I said, hitting the table to get his attention.

"Oh God," he grunted, biting on his inner lower lip and dropping his spoon.

He grabbed a napkin and dabbed at his lips as if there were a stain. He took a sip from his water and leaned back on the seat with an aggravated sigh. He gave me a hard glare and stood up.

"I will have my breakfast in my room tomorrow morning," he told Morris and headed for the stairs.

"Thanks for the chicken!" I yelled after him as I took it from his plate. "And tell your lover I'm waiting for her apology!" I added.

I smiled coyly at Morris, who was trying not to laugh.

I can't wait to get out of here.

To be honest, I was nervous about going back to school. Morris gave me a warm smile when he pulled onto Hills Avenue and parked the car in front of the college building. The blue color of the University of Beverly Hills logo brought memories of orientation week. I recalled when Belvina and I'd gotten lost on the large campus and ended up in the boys' locker room. We had gone red when we ran into five naked guys under the shower. We'd laughed about it for days and avoided the football team when school started.

Belvina and I were still freshmen; this was our second semester at UBH.

"What time do you finish?" Morris asked as I picked up my tote bag.

"Five thirty. I have two lectures today."

"Okay, have a nice day, Miss Simpson."

"You too, Morris." I got down from the car and headed for the entrance.

No one spared me a glance. I was relieved but paranoid.

At least not everyone was interested in some stupid gossip. I knew what had happened in the church was all over social media, and maybe I was stupid to return to school while the subject was still trending. But I had missed out on important lectures and tests. I couldn't let what people think of me stop me from completing my education. Vina had advised me to drop the class this semester, but my whole effort on my previous tests and homework would have been useless.

"Hey!" Belvina screamed, waving at me.

I smiled as I ran to her and then gave her a rib-breaking hug.

I'd missed her so much. She was the only sensible person who believed me.

She hugged me back tightly, and it lasted longer than I'd expected.

"You smell so good. I don't want to let go," she grunted.

"I missed you too," I said, pulling away while she frowned.

Her large curls were wrapped in a small silk scarf that matched her tube top. The skirt stopped above her knees, showing off her small legs.

"Is it just me, or is your skin glowing?" Vina asked, smiling at me.

"Oh, please, my skin has always been like this."

We walked into our lecture hall and took our seats. The hall was almost full.

"How is Adrian?" she whispered, nudging me with her shoulder like she was dancing.

"Get lost." I pushed her back, and she chuckled.

"Is she still allowed to come to school after what she did?" I heard someone whisper behind me.

I knew that voice; it belonged to Claire Bluewater. Our parents were kind of close, but Claire and I were the opposite.

"I can't believe she's pregnant," her friend Erin added.

"Of all people, her sister's best friend? How shallow," Claire said, close to my ear.

No one in the class cared, but Claire and Erin planned to ruin my day. I tried not to let their words get to me. They were just trying to get a reaction.

"Good thing her parents kicked her out," Erin said, and they laughed.

I clenched my fists and snapped my head around. They both went quiet and stared back at me ... waiting.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to study here," I said, smiling.

They whispered something into each other's ears and laughed.

I stood up, ready to beat the living daylights out of them, but our professor walked in.

"Try and calm down. Don't let them get to you," Belvina whispered, squeezing my arm in assurance.

No one seemed bothered about anything going on, but I still felt like everyone in the room was judging me and whispering. My stomach ached, and I wanted to throw up.

"Morning, class." Professor Clark waved. He smiled at us as he went behind his desk.

"Morning, Professor Clark," a few people greeted.

"How is everyone doing?" he asked as he turned on the projector.

Some replied while others remained quiet.

He always reminded me of Courage the Cowardly Dog. Something about the way he spoke.

"Watch and see. She might have a thing for Professor Clark," Erin whispered to Claire, loud enough for me to hear.

"Yeah, I mean, he's hot," Claire said close to my ear again.

Belvina held me back when I wanted to turn around.

There was no way I could attend this class. Erin and Claire were driving me crazy. If Vina wasn't holding me back, I would've turned around and rearranged their faces with my fists.

"I will use your notes later," I told Belvina, standing up.

She nodded, sending a killer look behind her. Claire and Erin smiled in return.

I could feel every eye on me as I walked down the aisle to Mr. Clark, who was engrossed in the computer in front of him.

"I'm not feeling too well," I said to Mr. Clark.

He waved his hand in dismissal without looking at me. I tried to calm down as I walked down the large, slightly crowded hallway.

Someone yanked my arm from behind and pulled me to a hidden corner. I was pushed to the wall so hard that my back hurt. Great, it was Ralph, Sofia's little brother, who shared a class with me. He had once been obsessed with me and tried to make me date him, but I'd turned him down.

"You slut!" he snarled.

What a misogynist.

"Ralph, let go."

"You ruined my family. You think you're gonna get away with that?"

I wasn't sure if this was just about Sofia. This was his opportunity to hurt me for turning him down a couple of times in the past.

"Is that why you refused to date me? Because you're into older guys?"

There you go.

"Ralph, let go!" I tried to push him off, but he pressed me harder to the wall.

"You disgust me." He spat on my face.

I wanted to knee him in the crotch, but he saw it coming and dodged it.

"Nice try." He pressed my body to the wall. "I just want to squeeze that thing growing inside of you." He poked my stomach with one finger. It was a brutal poke that felt like he was stabbing me. It hurt.

"Do you know what my sister is going through? She won't stop crying, and when she's in a bad mood, she won't stop shopping. Because of you, my family got humiliated." His nails dug into my skin with a clawing grip.

"Ralph, stop." I wished I could free my arms and leave a fist mark on his ugly face.

"I don't care." He pressed me harder to the wall.

"Let her go, Ralph," Grey shouted from the corner.

"You still wanna be on her side after what she did to you?"

Grey stepped closer and pushed him away from me. I adjusted my top and stared at both of them with tears at the corners of my eyes.

"Don't be a fool, Ashton. She used you," Ralph said.

"Leave her alone and don't touch her again," Grey warned. "Leave," he told Ralph.

Ralph glared at me and left.

"Be careful," Grey said to me and walked away without looking back at me.

"Grey, wait," I called, but he didn't stop.

I thought of going to file a report against him but changed my mind. I stared at Grey as he walked down the hallway and disappeared into a room. He was the last person I'd expected to come to my rescue.

I held my tears and made my way to the exit. Morris was surprised when I called him. He didn't ask me anything during the ride to Tristan's place, and I appreciated that.

I cried throughout the ride. Morris kept glancing at me through the rearview mirror. He gave me a white handkerchief. We walked in silence into the house, and I could tell Morris wanted to ask me something from the way he kept opening his mouth and closing it.

"Can I have a bottle of vodka and a knife?" I asked.

"A knife?" His eyebrows rose.

"Yes." He hesitated for a while before going to the wine cellar.

I waited impatiently at the dining room. I was frustrated I couldn't live a normal life again and scared of what people now said behind my back.

Morris brought everything I'd asked for, but he looked reluctant as he gave it to me.

"Don't worry about me," I said with a weak smile.

Tristan needed to feel my rage, the pain, and everything that had come with his lies, but how much damage did I have to do to make him feel those emotions? He deserved worse.

"Where is Tristan's room?" I asked, gripping the knife tightly.

He was quiet, not willing to tell me. I furrowed my eyebrows at him, urging him to answer.

"The room to your left."

"Thanks." I sniffed, heading for the stairs.