Nathan was escorted out before the ceremony ended.
Celeste followed behind him, crying into her phone.
Six months later, Crowe Preparatory faced a state accreditation review.
Nathan resigned from his company after the donor scandal became public.
My old child-support case was reopened.
Thirteen years of unpaid support became a legal judgment against assets he had spent years protecting.
Preston quietly transferred to another school.
I heard that he stopped competing for a while.
And genuinely, I hoped he found a way to build a life that wasn’t measured entirely by his father’s ambition.
Eli and Ethan accepted full scholarships to the state science academy.
On move-in day, they carried their own boxes into the dorm while I stood near the car pretending I wasn’t crying.
Ethan hugged me first.
“We did this because of you.”
Eli kissed my forehead.
“He missed everything.”
I looked across the bright campus.
