diff --git a/pdfium/build.gradle.kts b/pdfium/build.gradle.kts
index aef24bb..26f9993 100644
--- a/pdfium/build.gradle.kts
+++ b/pdfium/build.gradle.kts
@@ -152,6 +152,7 @@ kotlin {
         // kotlinx-browser exposes the org.khronos.webgl.* typed arrays as a shared API
         // across js + wasmJs, so they resolve in the webMain metadata compilation.
         webMain.dependencies { implementation(libs.kotlinx.browser) }
+        jvmTest.dependencies { implementation(libs.kotlin.test) }
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/pdfium/src/androidMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.android.kt b/pdfium/src/androidMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.android.kt
index 1e5e3e4..8530bd3 100644
--- a/pdfium/src/androidMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.android.kt
+++ b/pdfium/src/androidMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.android.kt
@@ -199,8 +199,9 @@ internal actual suspend fun openPdfDocument(bytes: ByteArray, password: String?)
             for (i in 0 until POOL_SIZE) {
                 val h = PdfiumBridge.nOpenDocumentFromMemory(bufferAddr, bytes.size.toLong(), password)
                 if (h == 0L) {
+                    // NOTE: the buffer is freed by the catch below — freeing it here too
+                    // double-frees it (native abort, not an exception).
                     for (j in 0 until i) PdfiumBridge.nCloseDocument(handles[j])
-                    PdfiumBridge.nFreeBuffer(bufferAddr)
                     error("PDFium refused to open document (err=${PdfiumBridge.nGetLastError()})")
                 }
                 handles[i] = h
diff --git a/pdfium/src/jvmMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.jvm.kt b/pdfium/src/jvmMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.jvm.kt
index d17425f..e570657 100644
--- a/pdfium/src/jvmMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.jvm.kt
+++ b/pdfium/src/jvmMain/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/PdfDocument.jvm.kt
@@ -224,9 +224,9 @@ internal actual suspend fun openPdfDocument(bytes: ByteArray, password: String?)
             for (i in 0 until POOL_SIZE) {
                 val h = PdfiumBridge.nOpenDocumentFromMemory(bufferAddr, bytes.size.toLong(), password)
                 if (h == 0L) {
-                    // Cleanup previously opened handles + buffer on failure.
+                    // Cleanup previously opened handles. The buffer is freed by the catch
+                    // below — freeing it here too double-frees it (native abort).
                     for (j in 0 until i) PdfiumBridge.nCloseDocument(handles[j])
-                    PdfiumBridge.nFreeBuffer(bufferAddr)
                     error("PDFium refused to open document (err=${PdfiumBridge.nGetLastError()})")
                 }
                 handles[i] = h
diff --git a/pdfium/src/jvmTest/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/OpenPdfDocumentTest.kt b/pdfium/src/jvmTest/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/OpenPdfDocumentTest.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c9f40b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pdfium/src/jvmTest/kotlin/dev/nucleusframework/pdfium/OpenPdfDocumentTest.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+package dev.nucleusframework.pdfium
+
+import kotlin.test.Test
+import kotlin.test.assertFailsWith
+import kotlinx.coroutines.runBlocking
+
+class OpenPdfDocumentTest {
+    /**
+     * Regression: bytes PDFium refuses must surface as an exception, not kill the
+     * process. The open-failure branch used to free the native buffer that the
+     * enclosing `catch` frees as well, so a non-PDF body double-freed it and the
+     * host aborted — SIGABRT on the JVM, "Scudo ERROR: invalid chunk state when
+     * deallocating" on Android. Reaching the assertion at all IS the test.
+     */
+    @Test
+    fun refusedBytesThrowInsteadOfAbortingTheProcess() = runBlocking {
+        assertFailsWith<IllegalStateException> {
+            openPdfDocument("definitely not a pdf".encodeToByteArray(), null)
+        }
+        Unit
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    fun aValidDocumentStillOpens() = runBlocking {
+        val doc = openPdfDocument(minimalPdf(), null)
+        try {
+            kotlin.test.assertEquals(1, doc.pageCount)
+        } finally {
+            doc.close()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+/** A minimal, valid one-page PDF (built-in /Helvetica, no embedded font program). */
+private fun minimalPdf(): ByteArray = java.util.Base64.getDecoder().decode(
+    "JVBERi0xLjQKMSAwIG9iago8PCAvVHlwZSAvQ2F0YWxvZyAvUGFnZXMgMiAwIFIgPj4KZW5kb2Jq" +
+        "CjIgMCBvYmoKPDwgL1R5cGUgL1BhZ2VzIC9LaWRzIFszIDAgUl0gL0NvdW50IDEgPj4KZW5kb2Jq" +
+        "CjMgMCBvYmoKPDwgL1R5cGUgL1BhZ2UgL1BhcmVudCAyIDAgUiAvTWVkaWFCb3ggWzAgMCA2MTIg" +
+        "NzkyXSAvQ29udGVudHMgNCAwIFIgL1Jlc291cmNlcyA8PCAvRm9udCA8PCAvRjEgNSAwIFIgPj4g" +
+        "Pj4gPj4KZW5kb2JqCjQgMCBvYmoKPDwgL0xlbmd0aCAzMzEgPj4Kc3RyZWFtCkJUIC9GMSAyNCBU" +
+        "ZiA3MiA3MDAgVGQgMjggVEwgKFRoZSBxdWljayBicm93biBmb3gganVtcHMgb3ZlciB0aGUgbGF6" +
+        "eSBkb2cuKSBUaiBUKiAoSW52b2ljZSAjMjAyNi0wNzE0ICBBbW91bnQgZHVlOiAkMSwyMzQuNTYp" +
+        "IFRqIFQqIChUaGlzIGlzIGEgdGV4dC1vbmx5IFBERiB0byBleGVyY2lzZSBwZGZpdW0gYXN5bmMg" +
+        "Z2x5cGggcGFpbnQuKSBUaiBUKiAoTGluZSBmb3VyIHdpdGggbW9yZSB3b3JkcyB0byBmaWxsIHRo" +
+        "ZSBwYWdlIGJvZHkgYXJlYSBuaWNlbHkuKSBUaiBUKiAoQ29udGFjdDogY2xhdWRlQG1pa2VwZW56" +
+        "LmRldiAgIFJlZjogUFJFVklFVy1SRVBSTykgVGogVCogRVQKZW5kc3RyZWFtCmVuZG9iago1IDAg" +
+        "b2JqCjw8IC9UeXBlIC9Gb250IC9TdWJ0eXBlIC9UeXBlMSAvQmFzZUZvbnQgL0hlbHZldGljYSA+" +
+        "PgplbmRvYmoKeHJlZgowIDYKMDAwMDAwMDAwMCA2NTUzNSBmIAowMDAwMDAwMDA5IDAwMDAwIG4g" +
+        "CjAwMDAwMDAwNTggMDAwMDAgbiAKMDAwMDAwMDExNSAwMDAwMCBuIAowMDAwMDAwMjQxIDAwMDAw" +
+        "IG4gCjAwMDAwMDA2MjMgMDAwMDAgbiAKdHJhaWxlcgo8PCAvU2l6ZSA2IC9Sb290IDEgMCBSID4+" +
+        "CnN0YXJ0eHJlZgo2OTMKJSVFT0Y="
+)