Betrayal's Sting: Her Own Path

he moment I closed the door behind me, the strength I had maintained in the library crumbl

d my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, trying to hold myself togethe

coul

say those thi

n, the condescending tone when he talked about me, the utter certainty that I would jus

untless hours we spent studying, him helping me with history, me explaining complex physics problems to him. He was the one wh

nder an awning, waiting for the downpour to stop. H

, right? Caltech. You and me. We' l

that promise, weaving it into the fabric of my own dream. Now, it felt like a lie. Had all those m

n a whim, a convenient t

had built so much of my future around a shared

t of a wind tunnel, a huge, proud smile on his face. He was an aerospace researcher, a brilliant man whose passion for the stars was

. It was about finishing the work he started, about understanding the universe he loved so much. L

m become such a central part of my life that he, and

lan for him was the final, brutal clarification I needed.

ties. It would be so easy to change it, to find NYU on the list and make it my top choice. A few clicks,

, heard his voice in the library.

cold and clear, wa

o

the 'Submit' button. My hand was steady as I clicked

on to the California Institute of

laptop with a

as d

but maybe others are just meant to cross paths for a while. Our road had div