Chapter 310

Chapter 310 The Weight of Regret
The man clapped Calvin on the shoulder and left without looking back.
Calvin burned with the urge to smash his fist into him, but what good would that do now? Anger wouldn’t solve anything. The only way forward was to clean up the mess quickly. Follow current novᴇls on
He moved at once, contacting the university’s publicity office. He issued a statement himself, denouncing Emma and the others for their malicious behavior and demanding strict investigation. “Such people do not deserve to graduate,” he declared.
Coming from someone so “respected,” his words carried weight.
The school reacted fast. Since Colt had already taken Emma and Quinny away, administration handed down its own verdict–expulsion.
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The punishment sent shockwaves through the student body. No one missed the warning hidden in it.
Micah knocked and stepped into Calvin’s office. He had graduated now, with a promising future ahead. He had even secured a good doctoral advisor.
He came seeking a recommendation letter.
When Calvin glanced over the advisor’s background, his brows lifted. “Didn’t expect you’d connect with Jandale University.”
Micah gave a dry laugh.
that
“Funny enough, I have Scarlett to thank. Because I was her lab mate, the committee reviewing me gave me a free Tell
pass.
Professor–years following you faithfully, and I never got kind of treatment. Maybe I should’ve left with her when she walked away.”
me,
The words hit like a slap. Calvin slammed his palm on the desk. “Nonsense!”
He still hoped to steady his career, even if the path to academicianship was gone. Writing a recommendation would help his reputation too. A successful student meant reflected glory, better retirement prospects, more face.
He had already uncapped his pen–until Micah’s barb cut deep.
The sour taste in his chest curdled into resentment.
“If you look down on this lab, on me as your teacher, then fine. Go ask Scarlett for your letter!”
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Micah calmly retrieved his application from the desk.
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“You’re right. That’s exactly what I planned. I only came today to show respect for your my advisor. Whether you agreed or not hardly mattered. And honestly, if my new mentor learns you drove Scarlett out, he might hold it against me. I’d be the one paying the price.”
He slid the paper into his folder, his voice cool. “Better a clean break. Professor Miller, why not announce that I’m unfit and expel me yourself?”
Calvin’s chest heaved violently. The pen shook in his grip until ink spilled across the desk, spreading like the chaos in his heart. His face darkened to a blotchy purple.
“You… you ungrateful wretch!” His voice trembled. “I took you in, brought you into my lab, gave you resources. And for Scarlett–you’d cast aside every ounce of loyalty?”
Micah’s eyes, distant and cold, pierced him like needles.
“Loyalty goes both ways. When you drove Scarlett out, where was it then?”
He paused, tone edged with scorn. “Now that she’s shining, suddenly you remember she was your student?”
The words landed like hammer blows.
Calvin’s mind snapped back to that day—Scarlett packing her things in silence, not arguing, not weeping. Only bowing politely before leaving.
He had felt triumphant then, satisfied that the thorn in his side was finally gone. But now, he saw the hidden weight behind her calm: the quiet humiliation, the unspoken grief.
He hadn’t discarded a troublesome girl. He had cast away a rare gem that should have been polished in his care.
“I…”
His throat locked. The words would not come.
He stared after Micah’s departing figure, haunted by the image of Scarlett on stage, standing tall even with broken strings. Remorse flooded through him, sharp and choking.
If only he hadn’t let prejudice blind him. If only he had treated her fairly.
Maybe then he wouldn’t be here, abandoned, despised—even by Micah, the student he had
once trusted most.
Pain ripped through his chest, sharp and sudden. He bent over, clutching at his heart. The pen
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clattered to the floor. His vision blurred, sound roaring in his ears. One thought consumed him:
I was wrong. Completely, unforgivably wrong.
Micah left the office and drew a long, shaky breath.
He couldn’t bring himself to ask Scarlett for a recommendation. He didn’t deserve that.
But in the days to come, he knew he would lean on her name nonetheless.
He resolved to find her, to speak plainly, to ask for her forgiveness.