Professor Kim rarely second-guessed herself. Years of teaching had trained her to make tough decisions swiftly and to stand by them even when students complained. But that morning, as she sat in her office with a pile of papers spread across her desk, she found her mind drifting back again and again to the choice she had made the day before—adding Paul Landon to Stella Graham’s tutoring duties.
It had seemed logical at the time. Paul had approached her with unusual insistence, a glint of determination in his eyes that suggested he wasn’t merely trying to pass time. He had argued his case eloquently: that he wanted to sharpen his academic edge, that Stella’s reputation as a tutor was unmatched, that he would commit himself to the schedule without excuses. His words had been persuasive, and
