Chapter 3

Ethan' s recovery was slow, painful. His leg injury was severe, leading to talk of a prosthetic.

He became bitter, lashing out. Chloe, from what I heard through campus gossip, bore the brunt of it.

She' d call him, her voice tight with unshed tears, and he' d snap at her.

Professor Davis, however, channeled her anger towards me.

In her mandatory ethics class, her lectures became pointed.

"Today, we discuss moral courage," she' d begin, her eyes finding mine in the lecture hall. "The courage to act, to save, even at personal risk. And the cowardice of those who abandon others in their time of need."

The other students would shift uncomfortably. Some looked at me with pity, others with disdain.

I endured it for weeks.

Then, one day, I' d had enough.

She was talking about loyalty and responsibility.

I raised my hand.

"Professor," I said, my voice calm but carrying. "You speak of responsibility. Was it my responsibility to force someone to be saved when they were actively choosing to endanger themselves for another?"

A hush fell over the hall.

Professor Davis' s face tightened. "Are you questioning the fundamental principle of aiding those in peril, Mr. Walker?"

"No, Professor. I' m questioning your biased interpretation of events you didn' t fully witness."

I stood up, unbuttoned my cuff, and pushed up my sleeve, revealing the burn scar on my forearm. It was still red and angry.

"This is from trying to pull your daughter away from a collapsing structure she was determined to run towards. I made a choice not to follow her into certain harm when she refused my help. She made her choice to prioritize Mr. Hayes."

Murmurs spread through the room.

"You' ve used this class to publicly shame me for weeks. Perhaps ethics should begin with not abusing one' s position of authority."

Professor Davis was speechless, her face pale. The dean was known to be a stickler for conduct. A formal complaint from me, backed by student witnesses, would be disastrous for her.

She visibly deflated. "Class dismissed."

Later, I heard Chloe had a massive fight with her mother.

Chloe, ever the manipulator, apparently threatened to harm herself if her mother didn' t accept her relationship with Ethan and stop harassing me.

Professor Davis, fiercely protective, caved.

The ethics lectures became bland, impersonal.

A small victory, but the war was far from over.

Chloe got what she wanted. Her mother' s reluctant blessing.

Ethan got what he wanted. Chloe' s undivided, obsessive attention.

And I got a brief respite.