Violet stood in front of the restroom mirror, staring blankly at her reflection. The tap ran on, cold water spilling over her hands, but she barely noticed. Her mind was a million miles away, still trapped in the whirlwind of what had just unfolded in that classroom.
She had escaped, mostly unharmed. Her scalp still tingled where Griffin had gripped her hair, but it wasn't the lingering pain that unsettled her. It was the emotional vulnerability she had shown.
Her golden eyes seemed to stare back at her accusingly. "You cried," they seemed to say.
Violet couldn't believe she had let that happen. Crying in front of Griffin Hale? The brute of East House? It was almost laughable if it didn't make her stomach twist with unease.
And yet, Griffin's reaction had been...unexpected. After her emotional breakdown, all he had done was apologize. The sincerity in his voice still echoed faintly in her mind.
