Elizabeth’s POV

The sun shone brighter than I remembered that morning, as if the world itself knew that some things had finally changed. Graduation day had come, and I felt a strange mixture of pride, relief, and exhaustion. Every step toward the stage was heavier than it should have been, weighed down not by schoolwork, but by everything that had happened in the last months.

I smoothed my gown over my shoulders and took a deep breath. Around me, classmates chatted, laughed, and ...