Incision of the Heart ✓

Chapter 37: The Harvard Interview

The morning light filtered through the narrow slits of Emily's apartment blinds, casting fragmented lines across her living room floor.

She sat cross-legged on the couch, a steaming cup of coffee untouched in her hands.

The air carried a weight she couldn't shake.

Her Harvard Medical School interview was in three hours, and the clock's relentless ticking echoed in her mind.

The idea of the interview itself didn't terrify her.

She'd been preparing for weeks, armed with answers polished enough to gleam and anecdotes rehearsed to perfection.

What scared her was the thought of failure.

Not hers but Liam's inevitable success if she didn't make it.

It was a paradox she couldn't admit, not even to herself.

She wanted Liam to succeed.

Of course, she did.

But the thought of him stepping onto the Harvard Med campus without her, surrounded by new people and new opportunities put her stomach in a knot she couldn't untangle.

Her phone buzzed on the coffee table, shattering the fragile quiet.

It was Liam.

---

"Morning, superstar." Liam's voice was like the sun breaking through storm clouds-steady, warm, and unrelenting. He stood in the doorway, his hair slightly tousled and his green eyes gleaming with that insufferable confidence she envied. "Ready to crush it?"

Emily forced a smile, though her hands tightened around her cup. "I don't think 'crush' is the word I'd use."

Liam crossed the room in a few easy strides and plucked the mug from her hands, setting it on the table. "Nonsense. You've been preparing for this for months. You could walk in blindfolded and still impress them."

"I don't think Harvard accepts blindfolded candidates," she muttered, grabbing her bag as a distraction.

Liam chuckled, but his eyes softened as he caught her arm. "Hey. You're going to be amazing, Em. And if it helps, I'll be there the whole time. Well, not in the room," he added with a grin, "but you know what I mean."

---

The drive to Harvard was unusually quiet.

Normally, Liam would have filled the car with his favorite playlist or cracked jokes to ease her nerves.

But today, he seemed to sense the unspoken tension radiating off her like heat waves.

Emily stared out the window, watching the city blur into sprawling suburbs.

She wanted to say something—anything—to break the silence.

But every word she thought of felt too revealing, too raw.

Liam finally spoke as they pulled into the campus parking lot. "You're in your head," he said, cutting the engine.

Emily blinked, startled. "What?"

"You've been quiet since we left. That's not like you."

"I'm just focused," she said, too quickly.

Liam turned in his seat, studying her. "You're not just focused. You're worried. Talk to me, Em."

She hesitated, her fingers curling around the strap of her bag. "What if...what if this doesn't work out?"

"What if what doesn't work out?"