After getting Meriyaah's cloak, the logout feature became available again.
Evie didn't even hesitate.
The moment the system prompt appeared, she logged out.
It wasn't her intention to be so obvious about avoiding Ren, but looking back, that was exactly how it must have looked. One second they were standing together, the next she was gone—no words, no pause, no explanation.
She told herself she didn't mean it that way.
But intent didn't matter when the result was the same.
Now, back in her room, Evie lay inside her pod, staring blankly at the ceiling. The soft hum of the machine faded into the background as her thoughts drifted, uninvited and relentless.
Ren.
She hadn't even noticed how much time had passed until her pod chimed softly, informing her that an hour had gone by.
An entire hour.
And all she did was stare at the ceiling.
