Years slipped by like pages turning in a book Mia no longer tried to control.

The seniors had graduated two years earlier, each stepping into the next chapter of their lives with the same confidence they had once carried through college corridors. Alex was the first to leave, landing a high-pressure corporate job in Gurgaon that kept him traveling across the country for client meetings and presentations. Jake followed soon after, joining a fast-growing startup in Bangalore where long hours and weekend crisis calls became the norm. Ryan was the last, staying behind in Delhi for a media agency role that demanded late nights and early mornings chasing stories and deadlines.