**That Afternoon**
You tell yourself it’s purely academic curiosity that drives you to Izzy’s office. The narrow hallway is hushed, the faint buzz of the fluorescent lights mingling with the weight of your anticipation. You knock softly.
**Izzy:** “Come in.”
Her office is a sanctuary of contradictions—shelves lined with well-loved books and a hint of something warm, inviting. Coffee? Cinnamon? Whatever it is, it wraps around you as


