Rain Wang's POV (Flashback)
It happened near the staircase in the east wing. Second week of med school.
I had just come from the dissection hall—tired, sweaty, and nauseous. My coat was too big, my hair too long, and I kept dropping my books like some tragic walking mess.
I was nobody.I knew that.And I was fine with it.
But that didn't stop them.
Sebastian Ashford's voice echoed down the hallway before I even saw him. Loud. Sharp. Amused. Surrounded by laughter that always made my stomach tighten.
"Watch out, everyone," he said, nodding toward me. "The cursed Rapunzel's making her rounds again."
The students around him laughed. Laughed.
I felt my face flush crimson. Tried to duck my head. Hide. Shrink.
I never asked for attention. I never even looked at him. But Sebastian always saw me. Somehow. Like I existed just for him to mock.
One of the girls leaned in toward him, giggling like she'd just been handed gold. "Maybe she hides cheat notes in that monstrous hair."
Another guy snickered, "She probably uses her braid to swing between departments."
And that was the moment Sebastian moved.He walked toward me, casually like he had all the time in the world. He looked down at me—taller, broader, sharp as sin. His blue eyes studied me like I was a diagnosis he didn't like.
"You know, Wang," he murmured, too softly for the others to hear, "you might be smart, but smart girls don't survive here looking like that."
I blinked. Tried to speak.Nothing came out.
"I'm just trying to help," he added, smirking. "You'll thank me later."
Then he reached out—and lifted a lock of my hair. Held it like it was something dirty.
"Ever heard of scissors?"
I froze.
And the worst part?
I heard the shutter sound of someone's phone.
A photo.
Laughter again.
Louder this time.
I remember backing away.Dropping my notes.Kneeling to pick them up as the whispers swirled:
"She looks like a haunted doll.""Bet she cries in the dorm every night.""Maybe Ashford's right—she needs a mirror and a personality."
I don't know how I got out of there.I just remember hiding in the nearest bathroom stall, stuffing my scarf into my mouth to stop the sobs.
I told myself it wasn't that bad.They were just joking. Right?
But even now—months later—my hands still tremble when I see a group laughing near the staircase.
And when I hear his voice?
My heart forgets how to beat.