Janes Story - Part I

Jane Withmore was, by most accounts, a woman of contradiction.

As a university lecturer in history, she had carved out a public persona that was both brilliant and slightly disarming—delivering complex thoughts with a wry smile, discussing the implications of colonial power structures in skintight jeans and soft, sheer blouses. Her students loved her for it. The media adored her. A few publications had even referred to her, embarrassingly, as the modern-day Mary Beard with eyeliner and attitude.

But Jane didn’t feel any of that.

Most mornings before a lecture, she sat alone in her office with the door closed, fingers trembling just slightly as she reached for her glass of water. The noise of the world pressed in through the windows: the chatter of students, the occasional sharp laugh, the rumble of buses beyond the campus wall. She breathed in. Held it. Let it go. Again. ...