The acceptance letter had been sitting on Liam's desk for months, a symbol of the future he had been afraid to claim. But now, with the divorce finalized and his family finally safe, he found himself ready to make a decision.

"I'm going," he told Emma over breakfast, the words emerging with a certainty that surprised them both. "To Stanford. I'm going to accept their offer."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, her heart swelling with pride and a touch of sadness. "You don't have to ...