#Chapter 301: Almost There

Nina The tick of the lecture hall clock echoed with a relentless rhythm. Each second was a heartbeat closer to the close of the exam and to freedom. The winter had been bitterly cold, and the spring semester had been exhausting. But in that moment, in that vast room with its intense silence, I was ready to leap forward. I looked at the last question on my anatomy final. I smirked a little. This? After all the agonizing weeks of studying, this was the monster they chose to throw at me? I filled out the answer confidently, basking in the knowledge I had absorbed over the past months. Taking a deep breath, I stood, my chair scraping softly against the floor. With the exam paper in hand, I approached the front desk. My professor looked up, her eyes crinkling in a warm smile. “Nina,” she murmured, taking the paper from me, “have a lovely summer.” “Thank you, Professor Kane,” I replied, voice brimming with gratitude. And then, the weight lifted off my sh