Joshua stood there.
He didn't move. Didn't breathe properly. Didn't think.
Stephen's words burned through him—slow, deliberate, unforgiving.
She knew.
Everything.
The truth settled heavily in his chest, not like anger—but like shame.
For the first time, he felt it.
The guilt.
Not because he had been caught.
Not because he had lost control.
But because he saw himself clearly—and didn't like what he saw.
Across the room, Tiana noticed.
She saw Stephen walk past her without stopping. Saw Joshua frozen in place, his shoulders stiff, his face drained of confidence.
She really looked at him.
Not with anger.
Not with longing.
With distance.
Like someone watching a storm that no longer belonged to her.
Something flickered in Joshua's eyes when he met her gaze. Regret. Confusion. Loss.
Then Dare spoke beside her.
"Hey," he said gently. "You okay?"
Tiana blinked, pulled back into the present. "Yeah."
She looked away from Joshua.
Dare followed her gaze briefly, then looked back at her—not prying, not pressing.
"You don't owe anyone explanations," he said.
She smiled faintly. "I know."
Joshua watched them from afar.
And for the first time, it wasn't jealousy that hurt him most.
It was the realization that Tiana was no longer reachable—not because she was guarded, but because she had healed past the place where he could touch her.
He thought about the money he used to ask for.
The calls he made only when it suited him.
The way he assumed she would always wait.
I really messed up, he admitted silently.
That night, Joshua sat alone in his room, phone in hand, staring at her contact.
He didn't text.
For once, he understood that silence was the only apology she deserved.
Outside, laughter echoed down the hallway.
Inside, Joshua felt the weight of consequences—not loud, not dramatic—
Just final.