As Proteus strolled down the bustling sidewalk toward his college, the crisp autumn air filled his lungs, but his heart felt heavy with uncertainty.

Dressed in a tailored blazer that his father had insisted he wear, he felt like a carefully crafted façade—perfect on the outside but hollow within.

His life had been a series of meticulously planned steps: good grades, an internship at his father's prestigious firm, and an expected corporate ascent.

Yet today, the familiar path felt suffocating, as vivid thoughts of his own dreams—ones he wasn’t sure he was allowed to have—flickered in the back of his mind, urging him to question the life laid out before him.