“Hey! It’s really you!”
A familiar voice suddenly rang out, pulling Stephanie from her thoughts.
She looked up to see Adam, her college classmate, waving at her with a bright smile. He was grinning widely, his face full of the same warmth and vitality she remembered from their university days.
“How have you been?” Adam asked as he walked over, his smile never fading. “I haven’t heard from you in a while. Are you doing okay?”
Stephanie hesitated for a moment before responding. Adam had always been one of the most cheerful and optimistic people she knew. He came from a stable, middle-class family, had been the quarterback of the football team in college, and had never been exposed to the darker sides of life. Unlike Stephanie, his world was untouched by the shadows of the mafia, violence
