Chapter 5: Moving Forward

The next day arrived quietly, as if the world itself was trying to tread lightly around my fragile heart.

The morning sunlight slipped through the thin curtains of my bedroom, pale and hesitant. I lay there for a moment longer than usual, staring at the ceiling, replaying memories I didn’t want to remember. Nikolai’s face. His voice. The way everything ended. My chest tightened, but I forced myself to sit up. Life didn’t stop just because my heart broke.

A soft knock sounded on my door.

“Jane,” my father’s voice came gently from the other side. “We’ll be late if you don’t get up.”

“I’m coming,” I replied, my voice hoarse.

I washed my face, tied my hair into a loose ponytail, and dressed in the most comfortable clothes I could find. When I stepped into the kitchen, Mom was already there, placing a cup of tea on the table. She smiled at me, though worry lingered in her eyes.

“Eat something,” she said softly. “You need energy.”

“I will,” I nodded, even though my appetite was almost nonexistent.

Dad waited for me in the car outside. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of early autumn. As I climbed into the passenger seat, Dad glanced at me, his eyes briefly scanning my face like he was checking for cracks.

“You okay?” he asked.

“I think so,” I answered honestly.

The drive to Nexus University was quiet but comforting. The city moved around us — people walking to work, students rushing toward buses, cars honking in the distance. Life was busy, loud, and alive, and somehow that made me feel less alone.

As we approached the university gates, I spotted a familiar figure standing near the entrance.

“Oh,” I said, leaning forward slightly. “That’s my friend.”

Dad slowed the car. “Do you want me to drop you here?”

“Yes, please.”

He stopped near the front gate, and I reached for the door handle before pausing.

“Be careful driving home,” I said, looking at him. “I love you.”

He smiled, a soft and warm smile that only a father could give. “I love you too. Take care of yourself.”

I stepped out of the car and watched as he drove away, his car disappearing into the flow of traffic. Turning back toward the university, I raised my hand and waved.

“Tatyana!” I shouted.

She turned around, her face lighting up immediately. “Hey, girl! What’s up?”

I walked toward her, feeling a little lighter already. “Mom and Dad said thank you for the gift,” I said. “They really loved it.”

She grinned proudly. “Good. I’m glad.”

We began walking toward our building, blending in with the crowd of students heading to their classes.

“Oh, by the way,” Tatyana added casually, “we got assigned to clean the classroom later.”

I sighed dramatically. “Of course we did.”

She laughed. “Come on, it won’t be that bad.”

“Easy for you to say,” I replied, but I smiled anyway.

The day passed slowly but peacefully. Lectures came and went, notes filled my notebook, and for a while, I almost forgot the ache in my chest. Almost.

When classes ended, we stayed behind to clean the classroom. Dust floated in the air as sunlight streamed through the windows. Chairs scraped against the floor, and the scent of cleaning solution filled the room.

As we finished up, Tatyana’s phone rang.

She frowned at the screen. “It’s our professor.”

She answered, her expression changing as she listened. “Yes, sir… I understand… I’ll be there.”

She hung up and turned to me apologetically. “I have to go back. Something about missing paperwork.”

I nodded. “It’s okay. I can go home alone.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

We hugged quickly, and she rushed off. I stepped outside, the sky already beginning to shift into soft shades of orange and pink.

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