Chapter 1:

The First Attempt

Exam season had turned the entire university into a pressure cooker of late nights, caffeine, and panic. My friends had organized yet another group reading session in the library for our advanced calculus paper. I stared at the group chat, Mia’s message glowing on my screen: “Emma, you coming? We saved you a seat beside the window. Bring snacks!”

I typed back quickly, my thumb hovering before I deleted the message. “Sorry guys, something came up. I will catch up later,” I sent instead, my heart already racing for a completely different reason. I slipped my textbooks into my bag, chose a fitted sweater that...