Chapter 1
The crack
Elias had always believed life moved in straight lines—school, work, a steady climb upward. But the morning he turned thirty-four, he felt something inside him shift, as if a small crack had appeared beneath the surface of everything he thought he knew.
He sat at his desk staring at spreadsheets that once made him feel capable, now only making him feel hollow. His coffee cooled untouched. His email inbox blinked like a heartbeat he no longer recognized.
People passed behind him talking about quarterly goals. Their words sounded like a language he used to speak but had somehow forgotten.
Is this really my life? he wondered. The question felt dangerous, but he couldn't unthink it