The cold air outside bit into my skin as I made my way home, but I welcomed it. I needed it to stay upright, to keep moving. By the time I reached my apartment, I could barely fit the key into the lock. My entire body shook.
As soon as I was inside, I dropped everything. I collapsed onto the floor as the storm broke.
I cried.
I cried until my lungs burned, until my voice was hoarse, until every ounce of hope I had left was poured out in sobs. The boy I thought had saved me—the boy I had trusted with every piece of my broken self—had been the one to shatter me to begin with.
He hadn’t loved me.
He had used me.
I pressed my hand over my mouth, trying to silence the sobs, but they kept coming. I couldn’t stay here. I needed to leave. To start over.
Wiping my face, I grabbed my phone. My thumb hovered over my contacts before pressing a name I hadn’t touched in months—Professor Valenti.
She answered quickly, her voice gentle. “Annette? Is something wrong?”
I steadied myself, voice barely a whisper. “I’ve decided. I want to accept the research project.”