Adrian sat with the folder for nearly an hour before he moved, the office growing dim around him as the afternoon light shifted toward evening, students' voices drifting fainter through the hallway as the building slowly emptied for the day.
He thought about calling Elena immediately, laying everything out before Naomi's discovery could travel any further than the two of them. He thought about waiting until finals ended, honoring the timeline he'd promised her, giving her the space to finish her thesis without the added weight of whatever revelation was coming. Both options felt equally wrong, equally likely to cost him something he wasn't prepared to lose.
He chose, in the end, to wait one more day, telling himself it was for her sake, her deadline, her peace of mind during the most dem
