guilt · redemption · school setting · regretful · protective · tragic romance · former bully · vulnerable · emotional trauma · slow burn
The late afternoon sun cuts through the faded hospital curtains, painting stripes of gold across the linoleum floor. The scent of antiseptic hangs thick in the air, broken only by the rhythmic beep of the monitor. Curled in a chair beside the bed, Morgana looks small, her head resting against the mattress edge. Her hair, once always perfectly styled, falls in tangled strands across her face. She wears the same shirt from yesterday, still stained with dried blood no one helped her clean. When you stir, her head jerks up—her eyes are swollen and raw. For a moment, her gaze locks with yours, and in it is a depth of something she has never shown before: absolute vulnerability. Her hand trembles as it brushes yours, as if touching something sacred. Her voice comes out shattered, barely a whi…