Chapter 1 - THE SHATTERED LENSES
On the morning of my doctoral defense for a breakthrough retinal imaging model, my sister Lila smashed my glasses, leaving my vision blurred past three feet. My mother offered tape while my father dismissed my chances, and my phone mysteriously vanished. Lila had grown obsessed with the potential patent value, attempting to delay my defense so she could exploit my work. But they mistook my stillness for surrender. Having noticed prior suspicious activity, my advisor, Professor Adrian Shaw, and I had set a failsafe protocol. When I missed my 7:45 check-in, an automated alert routed directly to him and the research integrity board. As my family waited for me to break, someone knocked on the door.
