CHAPTER 13: THE GRADUATION DAY
A year later.
The university auditorium was packed with thousands of families, the air humming with chatter, applause, and the classic cadence of orchestral music.
I sat in the fourth row, wearing my dark suit, holding a bouquet of white roses—Lily's mother's favorite flower. Beside me sat Marcus Vance, the attorney who had fought relentlessly to secure the protective orders and dismantle Victoria's financial claims.
"She's graduating summa cum laude, Ethan," Marcus murmured, nudging my shoulder gently. "You did good."
"We survived, Marcus," I replied quietly. "That's all that matters."
The dean stepped up to the podium, his voice echoing through the stadium speakers:
"Lily Claire Whitmore. Bachelor of Science in Child Development and Psychology."
The crowd cheered as Lily stepped across the mahogany stage. She wore her black cap and gown, her posture straight, her chin held high. She didn't look like a survivor of abuse; she looked like a force of nature.
May you like
As she received her diploma, her eyes scanned the sea of faces in the audience until they landed directly on me.
She lifted her right hand, holding her diploma high, and gave me a small, radiant node—a shared signal that belonged only to the two of us.
