CHAPTER 20: Doors open, Hearts Hold

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Chapter 20: Doors Open, Hearts Hold

An Offer for Calvin

Two days after the presentation, Calvin received an email from a professor he barely knew:

> "Your work during the project caught attention. We'd like to nominate you for a semester-long behavioral research program in Berlin. Fully funded. Starting next month."

He read it three times. Then once more with his heart.

It was everything he dreamed of—except now, he had someone who made him want to stay.

He didn't tell Daisy right away.

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Daisy's Dilemma

Meanwhile, Daisy's professor approached her after class.

"I've submitted your name for a competitive internship at a trauma clinic. You'd work under a top psychologist in Nairobi. It's intensive—but you'd learn more in six weeks than in a year here."

She smiled out of politeness.

But her stomach twisted.

They were finally finding each other—now everything threatened to pull them apart.

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Marcus and Lina Feel the Shift

Lina noticed the change first. Calvin grew quiet. Daisy's eyes drifted more. At dinner, she nudged Marcus. "They're both holding something back."

Marcus said nothing at first.

Then, "That's how love gets tested. Not by fights. But by silence."

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The Late-Night Reveal

Daisy finally asked. "Calvin... is there something you're not telling me?"

He exhaled, then showed her the email.

Her lips parted slightly. "Berlin?"

"Only if I accept it."

"And if you do?"

"I leave in four weeks."

She nodded. Then, slowly, "I got offered an internship. In Kenya."

They stared at each other—connected, but suddenly on two different maps.

Neither wanted to say the words out loud, but they both thought it:

What happens to us?

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