She found him surrounded by real patterns—paper ones, draped on dress forms, marked with pencil and love. He handed her a worn copy of Modaris V7r2 on a legal disc.
“I bought this in 2019,” he said. “Still mine. Still yours to borrow.”
“Don’t,” she said. “The real seam ripper is your conscience. Use the trial. Ask for help. But never stitch your name to something stolen.”