Joshua told himself he just wanted answers.
Not reconciliation. Not forgiveness. Just clarity. Because in his mind, he had played his game well—too well for it to have ended like this.
Tiana didn't know, he reassured himself.
If she knew, she would have screamed. She would have cried. She would have confronted me.
And yet… she had gone quiet. Cold. Unreachable.
By afternoon, he found Stephen in the library.
Stephen sat alone, far from where Dare and Tiana were studying. Calm. Focused. Like a man who had already made peace with his choices.
"Stephen," Joshua said, stopping in front of him. "Let's continue from where we stopped. That last time I came to your hostel."
Stephen looked up slowly. Then smiled—soft, controlled.
"What are you curious about?" he asked. "That I'm dating Tiana? The girl you chose not to cherish?"
Joshua stiffened.
"If that's what you think," Stephen continued calmly, "it's nothing like that. Yes, I liked her. But she's my friend. My sister. And I will always have her back."
Joshua scoffed. "So why did she change?"
Stephen's eyes darkened.
"You hurt her," he said quietly. "In ways you don't even understand. You embarrassed her dignity. You made her feel small. You stripped her of the respect she had protected for so long."
Joshua's mouth opened—but no words came.
"She was graceful," Stephen went on. "Unshakeable. Unbothered. People admired her. Men wanted her. And it wasn't her fault she fell for you."
His voice hardened.
"You treated her heart like a game. You messed with her mental health. Took from her. Mocked her behind her back. While she was in the dark loving you."
Joshua's chest tightened.
"I couldn't take it anymore," Stephen said. "Watching the girl I love being destroyed by my so-called friend."
Joshua froze.
"So yes," Stephen continued. "I told her everything. Why you approached her. That it was a game. I showed her the video of you and Nadia kissing."
Joshua staggered back slightly.
"She knew," Stephen said firmly. "Before you left the barracks for second semester. I warned you then. You laughed."
Silence swallowed the space between them.
"If she won't tell you she knows," Stephen finished, standing up, "I will. That's what real friends do. Now stop disturbing her peace. Your presence alone is not good for her health."
He leaned closer.
"And if you try to hurt her again, I won't hesitate to fight you. I don't care that I know you. Go and fix things with your Nadia."
Stephen turned and walked away.
For the first time in his life, Joshua didn't follow.