Tears of Deception

Elise’s gaze remained locked on Maeve’s casually scribbled answer sheet, her worldview fracturing in real time. The ink on the page detailed a flawless, undeniable reality. It was the exact, intricate solution Bronson had desperately described. The downstream formula was mapped out with an elegance that made Elise’s own memorized version look like pathetic amateur work. Where Elise had foolishly w