Ayla's POV
Even if fate decided to mock me, I would fight it.
I would choose anywhere else.
Everywhere else in this world was fine as long as it had no Elena Morgan.
The idea of seeing her face every morning in another hallway, another lecture hall, made my chest tighten until it hurt to breathe.
I needed distance, a clean, quiet kind of distance where my name wouldn't be whispered next to hers.
I stood there in my room, sunlight spilling weakly through the window blinds, assuring myself that this was it, this was where our bond ended.
Days went by, and everything moved forward the way I wanted it to, from transcript preparation and college paperwork, to clearance and checkout, to senior events and graduation rehearsals, to the graduation itself.
Families began arriving for the ceremony, and Elena wouldn't stop reminding me how we were both going to the same college. Her words felt more like a threat than excitement.
But I didn't let it shake me. My mind was made up.
