AMBER POV
The envelope felt heavier than it should. It wasn’t just thick paper and ink—it was a key. A door. A one-way ticket to the life I thought I wanted.
Or at least, the life I *had* wanted when I sent in my application.
Now, my hands shook as I held it, my fingers curling around the edges like it might slip away if I didn’t grip it tight enough. The air in the room felt dense, pressing in on me from all sides, thick with unspoken words and the steady weight of three pairs of eyes burning into me.
Alan was the first to break the silence, his voice smooth but edged with curiosity. “Why are you hesitating?”
I felt his gaze, sharp as a blade, cutting through my uncertainty, dissecting every flicker of emotion on my face. He was always the one who analyzed, who calculated, wh
