Chapter 71: Chapter 71:

FLASHBACK*

As I made my way to the school entrance, the familiar ache in my heart intensified. Today felt different, an ominous sense of foreboding hanging heavy in the air. Ignoring the curious gazes directed my way, I pressed on, each step weighed down by a growing unease until the unexpected unfolded before me.

Have you ever found yourself grappling with these haunting questions?

Why do those closest to me always seem to slip away? Am I the catalyst for their departure? Could it be that I unknowingly possess some fatal flaw that repels companionship?

These unsettling thoughts, once foreign to me, now plagued my every waking moment.