The twilight had deepened into a velvety indigo, staining the edges of the sky above the WBEQ building. The air was cold enough to bite, each exhale forming a fleeting ghost between them. Linsy stood paralyzed on the sidewalk, the director’s heartfelt blessing and the children’s joyful cries still echoing in her mind, now brutally overwritten by the sight of that embossed certificate in Michael’s hand. It wasn’t just paper; it was a historical record, a cage constructed from legal ...